Somewhere Only We Know
by WriterGirl516
Summary: Post breakup, Charlotte leaves Cooper behind in LA and searches for a new way of life with old friends and possibly finds new love. But what happens when and if she crosses paths with her past years later?  Picks up after 3x15 - Til Death Do Us Part
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Somewhere Only We Know  
><strong>Author<strong>: WriterGirl516  
><strong>Content<strong>: Charlotte King, eventually Cooper Freedman  
><strong>Premise<strong>: Charlotte decides it's time for a change. She searches for a new way of life with old friends and possibly finds new love. But what will happen when her past comes face to face her present five years later?  
><strong>Canon<strong>: Story picks up right after Cooper and Charlotte have sex at Maya's wedding.  
><strong>Disclaimers<strong>: I own nothing and borrow lots. All Private Practice characters are property of ABC and the creations of Shonda Rhimes. All I own is the story and the characters I create. Everything written is purely for fun, creativity and an outlet for my imagination.  
><strong>Author's Note<strong>: This is a **Charlotte King centric **story. If you're looking for a pure Charlotte and Cooper centric story, this may not be your cup of tea. The main character and focus of this story will be Charlotte and her life as she seeks a fresh start away from Los Angeles. Cooper will appear in this story at some point.  
><strong>Feedback<strong>: Always welcome, constructive criticism. But please, check all the flaming at the door. If you'd like to question my motives, feel free to send a private message.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Somewhere Only We Know<strong>_

_I walked across, this empty land. _  
><em>I knew the pathway like the back of my hand.<em>  
><em>I felt the earth beneath my feet<br>Sat by the river and it made me complete  
>Oh simple thing where have you gone<br>I'm getting old and I need something to rely on  
>So tell me when you're gonna let me in<br>I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin_  
><em><strong>~Keane<strong>__, Somewhere Only We Know_

**Chapter 1**

Charlotte takes one last look around, making sure she didn't forget anything. She adjusts the envelope that holds the note resting against the picture frame. It doesn't say much, except a short thank you and to ask Sheldon for the keys. Other than that, she doesn't volunteer much else. It's best to keep things simple, she figures.

With her purse on one arm and her carry-on bag slung over her shoulder, she takes a deep breath and walks out the door, pulling it shut behind her and locking it. In some ways, this is a symbolic moment for Charlotte, closing the door on a chapter in her life. She approaches the car waiting for her outside and gets into the passenger seat.

"Here you go. Give these to her when she gets back," Charlotte hands the set of keys to Sheldon, who is sitting in the driver's seat. "I left her a note, but if she goes askin' questions, you tell her you don't have any answers."

"Well, it's the truth since you won't tell me anything," Sheldon replies, turning the key to start the car. He pulls onto the road and begins the drive toward the airport. "So, you're really doing this? You're picking up your life and moving cross-country," he asks, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Yes, I am," Charlotte replies. "And before you even ask, yes I am sure about this. The change of scenery will do me some good."

"And you're willingly leaving your job as Chief of Staff at St. Ambrose behind?"

"Fresh start."

Sheldon quickly glances at the blonde. "So this isn't just a leave of absence so you can go off and find yourself?"

Charlotte shakes her head. "Nope. Like I said, I need a fresh start and if that means leaving my job behind, the same job that put me on the map, then so be it." She observes the psychiatrist's reaction or actually, non-reaction as he drove. "What? You think I'm crazy for doing this."

"Perhaps, but who am I to question your choices," Sheldon comments. He feels compelled to offer up an opinion but decides against it. It was clear Charlotte's mind was made up and there was no use in trying to change it. The only thing he can do is wish her well and hope she'll return someday.

The remainder of the short drive to the airport is in silence, as Sheldon knows he isn't going to get much else out of the blonde. He pulls up to the terminal and gets out of the car, unloading her suitcase from the trunk. "Well, I guess this is it."

"Yes, it is. Thanks Sheldon," Charlotte slings the strap of her carry-on bag over her shoulder then reaches for the handle on her suitcase. "I appreciate you givin' me the ride here. I know you probably have better things to do."

"No, it was my pleasure," Sheldon dismisses the statement with a wave of the hand. They stand there for a moment, looking at each other until the blare of a car horn gets both their attention. "I should go. After all, this is an unloading zone." Without thinking, he steps forward and wraps his arms around the blonde. "Take care of yourself."

Clearly taken by surprise, Charlotte discretely returns the gesture, lightly hugging Sheldon back. "Thanks, I will."

Pulling away, he smiles at her. "Don't be a stranger okay? I know you're looking to turn your life here into your past, but remember you do have a friend that still cares," he reminds her. "That friend being me, of course."

"Alright, I'll try to stay in touch but I make no promises."

"Good. Okay, now I'm really going. Bye Charlotte."

"Bye Sheldon," Charlotte watches him pull away then walks into the terminal and goes to check her suitcase in.

It doesn't take long for her to arrive at the departure gate, as her trip through security goes smoothly. Sitting by the window as she waits for the call to board, she gazes out at the Los Angeles landscape and sighs softly to herself. She's really doing this, leaving her life in LA behind for the purposes of forging a new start.

The decision itself wasn't an easy one and it certainly took a lot of thought on her part, having to step down from her prominent position at St. Ambrose. But after everything- Cooper, the fight, the breakup and then the meaningless sex at Maya's wedding, it's time to pick up and start anew somewhere else.

So here she is, sitting in LAX waiting for her flight to board and thinking about what this so-called fresh start would bring.

Not one for making hasty decisions, even though what she's doing right now could be considered as that, she feels it's best to take some time to herself. She needs to go to a place where she can sort things out, perhaps find some clarity.

A voice over the loudspeaker shakes Charlotte out of her deep thought, advising passengers it is time to board. Grabbing her purse and carry-on, she slowly stands up and takes a deep breath. After handing her boarding pass to the airline attendant, she walks onto the jet way and glances one last time over her shoulder.

This is it, officially ending a chapter of her life and turning the page to a new one.

.:.

By the time her flight lands, it's nightfall in Alabama. As Charlotte drives through the sleepy town that is Monroeville, she can't help but notice not much has changed since her last trip. She sighs softly, recalling her reason for her prior visit, her heart tightening a little at the memory of Big Daddy.

Driving past the cemetery, she makes a mental note, a reminder to stop by in the morning and bring some flowers to his grave, perhaps spend a little bit of time there filling him in on what's happening in her life. Sure, Big Daddy is gone, but she always feels his spirit lives on somehow and if talking to a gravestone is something that'll make her feel better, then that's what she'll do.

Charlotte pulls up the long drive leading to the estate. She parks her rental car out front, gets out and drags her tired body to the front door. Looking at her watch, she chooses not to ring the doorbell and pulls out her keys. It amuses her that after all these years, the locks are still the same as she turns the key and opens the door.

Stepping into the house, darkness greets her and the only source of light is the small lamp by the staircase and whatever slivers of moonlight are shining through the back windows. Only realizing then how late it is, she quietly makes her way up the stairs and instinctively maneuvers down the dim hall towards one of the bedrooms.

At this point in time, Charlotte doesn't care which room she ends up in, she just wants to crawl into a bed and get some sleep. The flight from LA wasn't particularly smooth and hearing the screaming baby in coach, despite sitting in First Class didn't help much. She gently turns the doorknob to the second room on the right and flips on the light switch.

Familiarity, it causes a smile to crack at the corners of her mouth. Even after all these years, nothing's changed and the room is still the way she left it. Then again, with the house's residents being only her mother and the hired help, it makes sense that nothing in here has been touched since her last visit.

Charlotte quickly changes out of the clothes she traveled in and climbs into bed. It doesn't matter that her internal clock is still three hours behind the actual time, she settles under the covers, closes her eyes and hopes to get some rest as tomorrow would be rife with questions from everyone as to why she's back in town.

It is half past ten in the morning when Charlotte makes her way down to the kitchen. Annoyed with herself for waking up late, she enters the room and locks eyes with her younger brother, Duke.

"Well, I see someone's finally awake. Good mornin' Charlotte," Duke greets as he takes a sip of his coffee. "You look like somethin' the cat dragged in."

"I feel like it," Charlotte walks to the counter, grabs a mug from the cabinet and the pot of coffee. "Is this fresh?"

"Just brewed it a little while ago. I could use a refill since you're right there," handing his empty mug to her.

Charlotte fills both, adding milk and sugar to them before walking around the island and sitting at the table with her brother. Duke reaches for his coffee taking another satisfying sip.

"Ah, never can go wrong with a good dose of caffeine in the morning," he comments, setting his mug down on the table.

"If you're lookin' to be wired all day," Charlotte remarks as she downs the first sip. She makes a face only realizing then how strong it is. "Geezus Duke, you could wake the dead with this stuff."

"I ain't gonna complain. It's just the way I like it. Momma too."

"You're sayin' Momma drinks this?"

"Mhhmm," he nods.

Charlotte takes tentative sip. "Where is Momma?"

"In the den I'm guessin," Duke replies. He reaches for his mug, intent on finishing the rest of the coffee in it. "I usually find her there whenever I get here on these Saturday mornings. What time you get in last night?"

"I was so doggone tired I don't even remember," she tries to recall what time she walked into the house. "I'm thinkin' maybe it was around midnight or somethin' like that. All I remember is gettin' up the stairs and heading right into my old room and climbin' into bed."

"Flight here that bad, huh?"

"Bad is an understatement."

Duke takes his last sip and gets up to place the mug in the sink. "And here I thought flyin' First Class was s'posed to make the skies a lil' more friendly for you."

"Tell that to the baby I heard screamin' its lungs out from all the way in Coach," Charlotte retorts. Looking into her mug, she sees it was empty, not realizing she had finished her coffee. "And the drive here didn't help much. I completely forgot how dark the roads are here at night. By the time I walked into this house, my head was poundin' and like I said, all I wanted was to climb into bed."

"Well, I'm assumin' you got some decent sleep considering half the morning is gone," Duke leans against the counter, crossing his arms in front of him.

Charlotte pushes her chair back and gets up. "Yeah I did," she says, rinsing both mugs and placing them into the dishwasher. "Funny how even after all these years, sleepin' in my old bed is still as comfy as ever."

"That's 'cause no one else been in that room since you left for med school," Duke replies. He grabs a banana off the bowl of fruit and picks up his keys. "Now I'd love to hang around and play catch up with ya sis, but I got some errands to run and some studyin' to do. I'll come by tomorrow mornin' and we'll have ourselves another cup of coffee."

"Not comin' around tonight?" Charlotte's brow furrows.

"Nope. Got a date."

"Oh really. Anyone I know?"

Duke shakes his head. "Nah. Just some woman Landry played matchmaker with," he replies. "Not sure if it's gonna go anywhere, being how it's our third date and all. But she's nice and I guess I like her."

Charlotte smiles. At least someone is having better luck in the romance department. "Have a good time then," she watches her brother make his way to the door. Before he walks out, she calls out to him. "Oh, Duke?"

"Yeah?"

"My stuff? It got here already, right?"

"Yeah. I had the movers put it in the Gatehouse like you asked," he points over his shoulder. "You gonna spend the day unpackin' I gander?"

Charlotte nods. "Yeah, I'd say that's a safe bet."

"Have fun," he steps out the door. Two seconds later, he sticks his head back in. "Oh, forgot to mention. You should give Reese Sommers a call. I ran into her the other day when I was gettin' something in town and I told her you were comin' home. I figure if you wanna take a break from unpackin' you'd wanna catch up with her. I left her number right there on the fridge for ya."

Charlotte turns around and indeed there is a yellow piece of paper with a number scribbled on it. "Thanks Duke, maybe I will." She watches her brother get into his car and disappear down the long drive. Taking the small paper off the refrigerator door, she tucks it into her pocket, intending to give her old friend a call later in the day.

.:.

Unpacking. It definitely isn't something Charlotte enjoys doing. The boxes are piled in front of her and she has no idea where to start. Thankfully, there aren't too many of them, most being her clothing and whatever she brought over to Violet's when she was living there. Seeing how it's no use in standing there and staring at them, Charlotte starts on the daunting task.

It is the middle of the afternoon when Charlotte hears a knock at the front door, whoever it is casually comes inside and calls out her name. "Charlotte? Darlin', where are you at?"

"In the bedroom, Momma," Charlotte replies back.

Augusta King sets down a pitcher of sweet tea onto the kitchen counter and walks down the short hall to the bedroom. "So here's where you've been hidin' all day." she says, watching her daughter lift some clothing out of a box. "Didn't even bother lookin' for me this morning to say hello?"

"I'm sorry Momma. I meant to come back to the house for lunch, but I got started on unpackin' and lost track of time," Charlotte explains while reaching for the last articles of clothing from the box. She places them into the dresser then leans against it, brushing back her blonde hair from her face.

"Looks like you got most of your things unpacked, from what I can see," Augusta says, having noticed the folded up boxes in the living room upon entering and now the remaining empty boxes here in the bedroom. "I brought over a pitcher of sweet tea for you. You still like the stuff, right?"

Charlotte smiles. "Yeah I do. I've got some glasses somewhere," she walks out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen with her mother following right behind. Reaching into the cabinet, she takes out two glasses and pours the sweet tea into them. Charlotte doesn't waste any time, taking a big sip. "Just like how I remembered," she says, savoring the wonderful flavor.

"Good to see I haven't lost my touch," replies the older woman. She sits across from her daughter, observing her for a moment. It's been a while since she last saw Charlotte, almost a year to be exact, recalling her last trip home being the death of Big Daddy. And now, here Charlotte is again, only this time it's not a visit. Her baby girl is home, to stay possibly. "So, when we talked last week, you didn't say much 'bout why you were comin' home. I didn't want to press you for information over the phone and since you're here now, I figured maybe you'd wanna talk 'bout it?"

Charlotte takes another sip of tea and swallows. The expression on her face goes from satisfaction to uneasiness as she shakes her head. "Not right now, Momma."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Please, I really don't feel like talkin' about it."

"Well, you know where to find me when you're good and ready to talk," Augusta pushes her chair back and stands. "I'll let you finish settin' up around here. You'll come on up to the house for dinner I'm assumin'?"

Charlotte rolls her eyes, nodding. "Yes, Momma. I'll join you for dinner. Not like I have much else to do. Although, I may go out afterward. Duke gave me Reese Sommers' number and I'm thinking of givin' her a call. Might be good for me to catch up with an old friend."

"Sounds good," the older woman says, turning to walk toward the door. "I'll see you for dinner then."

"Alright Momma," Charlotte watches the door close behind her mother. Pouring herself another glass of sweet tea, she brings it with her to the bedroom and resumes unpacking.

As promised, she joins the older woman for dinner at the house later in the day. It's a simple affair, but the two of them end up dining in near silence, since Charlotte still refuses to talk about her reasons for coming back to Monroeville. Deciding not to push, Charlotte's mother figures the younger woman will open up in due time.

.:.

Charlotte enters the bar, her eyes searching the room for another blonde woman who she assumes would be sitting alone. Fortunately, she doesn't have to do much searching when she hears a voice speak up from behind.

"Well, look at this. Charlotte King, as I live and breathe."

Charlotte turns around, smile curling at the corners of her mouth when she sees the other blonde woman standing in front of her. "Reese Sommers."

"It took ya long enough to get here," Reese ushers her friend over to a booth tucked in the corner of the bar. On their way there, she motions to the bartender to bring over a drink for Charlotte. "I thought I'd have to wait for you all night."

"Sorry," Charlotte apologizes, sliding into the booth. She shrugs off her jacket and sets it next to her purse. "I would have been here sooner if it weren't for dinner with my momma holdin' me up."

"And how is that momma of yours?"

"Same. Nothin' new. Still pryin' me for information and I'm sure when times get tough or she gets bored, she dives into the stash of alcohol in Big Daddy's study."

Reese takes a sip of her drink and swallows. "Sounds like the same old, same old."

"Pretty much," Charlotte replies with a single nod. She spots one of the waitresses coming to the table and reaches out to take the drink from her. "Thank you." Clinking glasses with Reese, she brings the drink to her lips and takes a tentative sip. "Seven and seven. How'd you guess?"

"Just a lucky hunch," Reese shrugs.

"Or you just have a good memory though I could also fancy a martini next time. But not tonight," Charlotte sets the glass down on the table. She reaches for the napkin and begins playing with its corners.

Reese eyes her friend curiously, noticing how she's become quiet all of a sudden. "So, are you gonna fill me in on what's been goin' on in your life, or are you just gonna sit there and make confetti?"

"Sorry, I just got into town last night and I'm still tryin' to get my bearings. I spent most of the day unpacking," Charlotte explains.

"You stayin' with your momma?"

"Yes and no. I'm livin' at the gatehouse. So I'm close enough to Momma, but far enough that I can have some privacy."

Reese raises an eyebrow, giving the other woman a sly smile. "Privacy as in your momma not seeing you bringing home a random guy at night so you can get your itches scratched." It's been a while since she last saw Charlotte, but she still knows her old friend very well. "Can't say I blame ya."

Charlotte laughs under her breath. "What makes you think that's the only reason? I'm an adult. I deserve some privacy," she takes another sip of her drink. "And frankly, I just don't want to deal with my momma and her issues every single day nor does she want to deal with mine. Bad enough she won't stop askin' why I decided to move my life back here."

"Speakin' of, I'd like to know too. From what I recall, you had yourself a good life out west," Reese says, hoping to get an explanation. While she knows it isn't the easiest of tasks to get Charlotte to open up, she suspects the reason will reveal itself in due time or so she hopes. "Well, are you gonna tell me why? Don't worry, I won't go and tell your momma."

Frowning, Charlotte stares at her drink for a second before bringing her gaze to Reese. "I know you won't and I do have my reasons, but I'm not ready to talk about it yet."

"Is everything okay? You're not sick and dyin' are you?" Reese says with concern.

"Relax, I'm fine," Charlotte laughs. She reaches for the other woman's hand. "Really, I am. I'm just… I'm nursin' a broken heart, that's all."

"Oh…"

"Yeah."

"Was it that Cooper guy? The one I saw at your Big Daddy's funeral?"

"Yeah," Charlotte nods. "I'm not in the mood to talk 'bout it though, so let's change the subject. Tell me, how's life been treatin' ya?"

Deciding it's best not to push Charlotte for details, she goes along with the request. "Life's been good. I was in San Francisco for a bit overseein' a project and now I'm back here, preppin' for another one before I have to head out again," she replies. "Luckily, I won't have to go far for this one. Next project is in Atlanta."

"And the love life?"

"Non-existent right now. With the job I got and how I'm jettin' back and forth everywhere and livin' out of a suitcase sometimes, it doesn't allow me much time to fall in love with someone, let alone have a relationship."

Charlotte finishes the rest of her drink, setting the empty glass on the table. "Relationships are overrated. Just when you think maybe you found a man worth givin' a piece of yourself to, turns out he isn't when he can't forgive you for a mistake that happened long before he came into your life," she says, the familiar feeling of annoyance and hurt creeping through her blood. "The past is the past, isn't it?"

"Of course. And there's no use in dredgin' it up. It's called the past for a reason."

"See, at least you agree with me."

"Honey, as someone who's known you since high school, I will always side with you unless I hear otherwise," Reese says, noticing their empty glasses. She motions to the bartender for another round. "Don't worry, this next one's on me."

Charlotte calls out over her shoulder. "Make mine a seltzer please," turning her attention back to her friend. "What? It's my first full day here. I don't feel like drinkin' my sorrows away."

"Understandable," Reese nods. While waiting for the bartender to deliver their drinks, she spots a familiar face enter the bar. Making eye contact, she smiles at him. "So, now that Cooper is your past, are you lookin' to maybe spice up your present?" she smirks.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Charlotte's brow furrows. Before she's able to ask questions, a low voice speaks from behind.

"Well, who do we have here? Charlotte King. Never thought I'd see you back around these parts."

Charlotte turns her head. She looks up, meeting gazes with yet another friend from long, long ago and smiles. "Bradley Nowak."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Bradley Nowak," Charlotte says his name. She can't help but stare as he pulls a chair up to the table and sits down. He's still as handsome as she remembers, tall and dark with those boyish good looks. It's quite obvious the man hasn't aged one bit.

"And I'll say it again, Charlotte King," Bradley smiles, meeting the blonde's gaze. "I heard rumors you were back in town, but I refused to believe 'em. Thought to myself how you'd never give up your life out in LA, considerin' the fun in the sun and the beaches."

Charlotte smiles demurely, taking a sip of her drink. "Well, believe it. And trust me, livin' out there isn't everything it's made out to be."

Bradley returns her smile with one of his own, nodding. "So you decided comin' back here would be a better choice? I never pegged you for the type to come home," he chuckles, reaching for his beer bottle. "If I can recall, back in high school you were just itchin' to move out 'cause you wanted to spread your wings."

"Can't a girl just come home? Why does there always have to be a reason?" Reese cuts in, laughing. It feels like old times between the three of them, almost as if they're back in high school, sitting around the table in the cafeteria. And as usual, Bradley and Charlotte are the ones dominating the conversation. Yes, this is definitely a blast from the past. And she likes it.

"Relax, I was just being curious," Bradley holds his hands up, defensively but still smiling. "Alright, I'll stop pryin' and be a good Southern gentleman," he sits up and clears his throat. "How are you both doin' tonight? I couldn't help but notice the two of you are here unattached, which to me is a damn shame considerin' how you're both still the two prettiest gals I know."

"Sweet Jesus, now he's resorted to flattery," Reese rolls her eyes as another laugh escapes her mouth.

"Flattery, flirtin'… same thing to me," Charlotte comments. She stares at her near empty glass, thinking maybe another drink is in order and this time, not seltzer. Before she has a chance to get up and head to the bartender, Bradley holds his hand out to stop her.

"Let me," he stands from his chair. "What's your poison? Seven and seven? Martini? Vodka tonic? You pick, this round's on me."

Charlotte chuckles under her breath. She can tell right of the bat this man is still the same charmer. "Martini is fine."

"And you, Reese?"

"I'm good," the other woman covers her glass with her hand.

"Alright, then I'll be right back," Bradley winks before walking toward the bar.

Charlotte turns to Reese, raising an eyebrow. "I see he hasn't changed his ways. Still the same flirt I remember him to be," she glances over her shoulder. "But I will admit… his rugged good looks are as great as ever."

"Oh? Sounds like someone is attracted," Reese drawls, cunning smile forming at the corners of her mouth. She sees this as an opportunity. "In case you didn't know, he's single."

Again, Charlotte turns to look at Bradley standing at the bar, laughing with the bartender. From what she can tell, he's definitely a regular, judging by the interaction between the two. "Single, you say?"

"Mmmhmm…" Reese follows her friend's gaze and knows what she is thinking. "Just thought I'd share that tidbit with ya."

"Well, thanks."

"Anytime."

Bradley returns with Charlotte's drink and another beer for himself. Sitting back down his chair, he takes another swig and leans back, folding his arms across his chest. "So, what's the reason for this pow-wow?"

"If you must know, I asked Charlotte to come out for a drink so she and I could catch up," Reese replies, this time without the eye roll. "No other reason than just two gals talkin' about life."

"And men, I'm guessin', because men always have to be one of the topics you women chat about."

"Not necessarily," Charlotte sips her martini. She savors its taste. Obviously, it's up to par with her standards. Then again, there really isn't anyone else who can make a finer martini than she can. "Thanks for this by the way."

Bradley tilts his beer toward her. "Not a problem. Consider it my way of sayin' welcome home."

The three of them engage in conversation well into the night. Actually, it's more so Bradley and Charlotte who do so. Reese leaves around midnight, reason being she needs at least six hours of sleep if she's to function like a normal human being because she has to put in some hours in the office the next day, a Sunday. Since Charlotte doesn't have any work lined up yet and it's the weekend, she decides to kick back a little and enjoy.

Of course, her doing so and throwing alcohol into the mix doesn't amount to much good, especially, when Bradley buys her two more martinis, which in effect leaves her a little inebriated and lowers her inhibitions somewhat.

Bradley, on the other hand is enjoying this time spent catching up with an old friend. After the year and a half he's had so far, being able to sit in a bar with familiar face is something he needs. In fact, his personality tones down a bit the further into conversation he gets with Charlotte, which isn't a surprise, as he's always been a good man deep down.

But that still doesn't stop him from giving into his attraction. And these days, Bradley likes to have himself a night or two where he wants to forget his troubles.

It is almost three in the morning when he unlocks the door to his home, Charlotte following in right behind him. He doesn't want her driving home alone and honestly, he really wants to spend more time with her. There's lots of kissing as they stumble up the staircase to his bedroom and it isn't long before clothing starts coming off and he's pushing her onto the bed.

Charlotte is enjoying this moment. All she wants to do was forget her past and this is the best way to do it. She didn't plan on getting back on the horse this soon, but Bradley and his damn Southern charm (and those three martinis.) Now here she is, naked with him kissing her in all the right places.

It makes her smile. It makes her feel so good.

And then, it stops.

"I can't do this. I'm sorry," Bradley mutters. He moves off Charlotte and collapses next to her in bed.

Charlotte turns on her side, propping her head in her hand. "Can't do what? Come on, we've got our clothes off, you know you want to. Heck, I want to."

"But I can't. I just can't," he swings his legs off to the side of the bed, puts on his clothes and grabs one of the pillows. "You stay here tonight. I'll go sleep on my couch."

"Where the hell are you goin'?" Charlotte sits up, covering her body with the sheet. "Bradley?" she calls out, but doesn't get a reply. Instead, she watches him walk out of his own bedroom, door shutting gently behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The sun rises a few hours later and Charlotte's still lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. She's wide-awake, having spent the past few hours tossing and turning in a bed that isn't hers. Turning to look at the clock, she sees it's a little past seven and wonders if Bradley is awake.

Sounds of pots clattering downstairs answers the question and Charlotte gets out of bed, still wearing one of his button-down shirts she found earlier while stumbling in the dark after he left the room. Walking barefoot into the hall and down the stairs, she heads to the source of the noise and finds Bradley moving about in the kitchen.

"G'mornin'," she greets. She leans on the side of the island, while he's in front of the stove. She suspects he's scrambling some eggs, judging from the smell wafting around the room.

Bradley turns around and smiles. He points to the table. "Go ahead and have a seat. This will be ready in a minute or so. There's a glass of orange juice with your name on it," he said, emptying the contents of the skillet onto a plate. Also made some toast. I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I'm makin' what I know best."

"That's fine," Charlotte sits down in one of the chairs. She waits for him to join her at the table, realizing it's not scrambled eggs, but an omelet. Before she's able to reach out with her fork, Bradley is one step ahead, cutting the omelet in half and sliding it onto her plate. "Thanks."

"Eat up," Bradley motions as he sits in the adjacent chair. He butters a piece of toast and takes a bite, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "I brewed some coffee, if you want."

"Sure, I'd like a cup."

Bradley pushes his chair back and gets up. He takes a mug out of the cupboard and pours coffee into it. "Milk & sugar?"

"Just a little bit of both."

Bradley brings the mug back to the table, placing it next to Charlotte's plate. He sits back down and resumes eating his omelet. They end up spending the remainder of breakfast eating in silence, which completely unnerves Charlotte, given what happened in the bedroom mere hours ago.

She watches him from behind her mug of coffee, waiting and wondering if he's going to say something, anything. Finally, she can't take it anymore and sets her mug down on the table a little too loudly than intended.

"Are we going to talk about what happened?" she flat out asks, not even bothering to lead in to the conversation. "I thought you and I were havin' ourselves a good time."

"Oh that, yeah…been meanin' to say I'm sorry," he replies, smiling ruefully. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

Charlotte's brow furrows. "You didn't mean to walk away? Because you know, people don't walk away from Charlotte King when she's naked."

Bradley nearly chokes. "Excuse me?"

"You heard what I said. When the clothes are off, people don't just walk away, unless there's a damn good reason."

"Well, there was…is…was…" he pauses, staring at his mug of coffee before finally meeting Charlotte's gaze. "It was a moment of stupidity on my part. You know, thinkin' rebound sex was going to solve all my problems."

"It's a nice temporary fix for me sometimes," Charlotte says under her breath. She notices the downcast look in Bradley's eyes and for a moment is genuinely concerned. "You just get out of a relationship?"

Bradley nods his head. "You could say that," he mutters. "My divorce…declared final yesterday."

"Oh…"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry." Charlotte doesn't know what else to say, except for the fact that she's feeling a little embarrassed for getting on his case regarding what happened in the bedroom. "So last night, you thought sexin' me up was the best way to forget your troubles?"

With a glimmer of guilt in his eyes, Bradley shrugs. "Yes, I guess you could say that. You've got every right to be angry. I was basically using you. I'm sorry." He's tempted to reach out and take her hand, but resists. They're not close friends and it seems like an invasion of personal space should he do that. Instead, he simply sits there and hopes she's not upset.

Charlotte doesn't reply for a few seconds and looks back at him. She's not angry or upset because the truth is she was looking for an escape too. And last night was that for her. Sure, she can blame the martinis, but by no means did she resist an invitation to go back home with him and hit the sheets, just so she could feel better.

A minute has gone by and Charlotte says nothing. "You're mad at me, aren't you?" he asks and then begins to ramble. "It's just these past few months have been hell and I thought maybe last night I could let loose, you know? Now that I was finally past all this marriage ending crap, I would maybe take one night where I could forget everything."

"Bradley, stop." Charlotte interrupts him before he could say something potentially embarrassing. She meets his gaze and smiles slightly. "I'm not angry at you. In fact, I'm not the least bit upset."

"You're not?"

"I'm not because to be honest, I was lookin' for the same thing last night."

"So you were usin' me."

"I wouldn't use those words, but yeah. Look, I'll be up front with you. My last relationship, it didn't end so well. And last night…I guess I needed some comfort too."

Bradley shakes his head, laughing. "We're so messed up. So I guess we can call it even?"

"It's safe to say we can," Charlotte nods in agreement.

Draining the last of the coffee in his mug, Bradley sets it back down on the table and thinks to himself for a moment. Since the air is now clear between them, he's tempted to ask Charlotte out, as a way of starting over and getting reacquainted as friends.

"I know this might seem a bit too forward. And I'll understand if you want to say no," he rakes his hand through his hair and lets it rest on the back of his neck. "Would you like to go out to dinner sometime? I know you just got back to town and you still need time to unpack, get settled in and all. I feel bad for last night and the Southern gentleman in me wants to make it up to you."

Charlotte can't help but smile at him. Unable to resist his charm, she takes him up on the offer. "Yes, I'll go out to dinner with you. I don't see a reason why I shouldn't. And stop feelin' bad. We were both lookin' for ways to forget our problems last night."

"Fine," Bradley holds up a hand, relenting. "How does Friday sound? It gives you a couple of days get back into the swing of things 'round here."

"Friday sounds good."

"So… it's a date?" he raises an eyebrow.

Charlotte gives him an affirmative nod. "Yes, it's a date."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Charlotte walks out of the clinic carrying a large folder in her arms. It's almost noon and she's spent the whole morning talking with the clinic staff, getting to know the place and how it runs. Suffice to say, she's got herself a job now. It isn't anything like her Chief-of-Staff position at St. Ambrose, but this is just fine for her. Instead of running a large hospital, she's now running the county clinic, actually, helping run it since the administrator turns out to be another old friend of hers.

Just as she's about to get into her car, Reese calls out to her. She looks up and spots her skinny friend coming across the street. "Hey there. On a lunch break?"

"I wish," Reese retorts. She's trying to balance her purse on one shoulder and two poster tubes under her other arm. "I just got out of a meeting and now I'm headed to another one. I'm tellin' you, being an architect isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes."

"I could say the same for being a doctor," Charlotte replies. "So, if you're runnin' late, why'd you stop to talk to me?"

"Because I want to know if you're free for dinner tonight. And you haven't told me what happened after I left the bar on Saturday. So?" she sees a grin form on Charlotte's face. "Oh my God, something did happen!"

Charlotte tosses her purse into the back seat of the car and shuts the door. "Come over tonight and I'll tell ya all about it."

"Sure. How does seven sound?"

"Seven is perfect. I'll see you then. You remember where the gatehouse is?"

"Of course," Reese checks her watch. "I have to go. See ya tonight!"

She spends a good portion of the afternoon running errands, mainly picking up things on a list Momma gave her before leaving the house earlier this morning. By the time she returns home, it's almost four and she's feeling a little exhausted. This is a strange feeling for her, not working (well, not yet) and having time to actually do things instead of worrying about administrating a hospital or seeing patients.

It's safe to say Charlotte's beginning to like this feeling and perhaps she isn't going to miss life out west after all.

Walking up the path towards the gatehouse, she spots her younger brother Landry waiting for her outside.

"Aren't you s'posed to be at work?" she asks, taking her key out and unlocking the door. She heads inside and her brother follows right behind her.

"Slow day in the office," Landry answers. He looks around the living room, noticing how everything seems to be all set up. "I see it didn't take you long to unpack all your stuff."

"Well, I didn't have much to begin with. I sold my place fully furnished a while back so all I really had were my clothes and not much else," Charlotte heads into the kitchen, taking out the pitcher of sweet tea from the fridge. She grabs two glasses from the cabinet and returns to the table. "You want some?"

Landry shrugs his shoulders. "Sure, why not. It's Momma's mix, right?"

"Who else?"

They sit at the table in silence for a few moments, not sure of what kind of conversation to strike up. Then again, Charlotte is also wondering why her brother was sitting outside waiting for her in the first place. So she figures it's a good a place as any to start.

"Okay Landry. Spill. Why were you waitin' for me outside?"

Landry drains the last of the sweet tea in his glass. "No reason. Just thought I'd come 'round and say hello before I head home. I don't want to seem like such an uncarin' brother."

"I'm good. Been better, but overall I'm good," Charlotte says before taking a sip of tea. She can tell where this conversation is going and suspects he isn't here because he wants to say hello. There's another reason for his visit and it probably has to do with Momma telling him to come by. "Spent the last couple of days gettin' settled back in around here. It's been a while."

"Good, good," he nods his head. "It's gotta be an adjustment for you, considerin' how you were livin' out there in California for a good long time. You gettin' reacquainted with everyone just fine?"

"Mhmm… In fact, Reese Sommers is comin' over tonight. She and I are gonna do some more catchin' up," Charlotte looks at the clock and sees she's has just enough time to eat before Reese shows up. She remembers there's some leftover fried chicken from dinner the night before with Momma and figures it'll suffice. "You remember her?"

"Of course I do," Landry says, eyeing the pitcher of tea. He takes it and fills his glass halfway. "How can I forget her? Duke isn't goin' to admit this to you, but he's always had a crush on her. Still does to this day."

"You're kiddin'."

"Honest to God, no lie. He's the one who got her number for ya. The two of them talk on and off, but he's too much of a wuss to ask her out to dinner."

Charlotte laughs at this bit of information Landry is sharing. It doesn't take long for him to join in on the laughter, both of them enjoying this moment of secret swapping between siblings. The conversation flows a little more easily now considering they're both still trying to catch their breath.

"You know, Duke's gonna kill you for tellin' me this," she stifles a chuckle.

"Eh, he won't. If anythin' he's glad you're back home and talkin' to Reese because it would mean she'll be 'round here often or something like that."

"Oh, so he wants to use his big sister to get to her, huh? I see how it is," Charlotte says jokingly, raising an eyebrow.

Landry is still laughing. "Hey he's the one who's got a thing for her, not me. I'm content with my datin' life. And speakin' of significant others, is that Cooper fella followin' you here? Will be he showin' up on your doorstep anytime soon?"

Charlotte stops laughing. The mention of Cooper causes her to frown. "No, he isn't," she replies. "Not that I care anyway. And even if he did show up here, all he'll get is a door slammed in his face."

"That bad, huh?" Landry asks. He knows not to press for any more information, but considering he's here at Momma's urging, he forges ahead. "You wanna talk 'bout it?"

"Landry," she drawls. "Since when do I share details of my personal life with you? You're here because Momma sent you. Come on, out with it."

He's staring at his near empty glass for a few seconds before finally looking up at her. "Fine, yes she sent me," he admits. "But you know she's only got me askin' you because she cares."

"And she's being nosy. I love Momma, but she's gotta realize I can take care of myself. I've been doin' it for years. I don't need her help mendin' my broken-" she stops herself from finishing the thought, but her brother finishes it anyway.

"Your broken heart." Landry gets up and pushes his chair into the table. He places a hand on Charlotte's shoulder, squeezing it. "I'm gonna head home. I know you're not one for sharin' your feelings and all, but you can always talk to me if you want. And no worries, I won't go blabbin' what you say to Duke."

Charlotte gives him a grateful smile. "Thanks."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Reese kicks off her shoes and curls up at the far end of the couch. Charlotte is sitting on the opposite side in a similar position and between them is a plate with two slices of strawberry cheesecake.

"Alright, now that I'm all comfy, tell me about Saturday night," she smirks, not one for wasting time on small talk.

Charlotte feigns hurt. "You're not gonna ask how I'm doin'? I see how it is, only being interested in findin' out if Bradley and I hit the sheets."

"Oh, I'm sorry, let me start over," Reese is still smirking as she reaches across the couch for Charlotte's hand. "Darlin', how has your week been? Good? How about that Bradley? When I left the two of you at the bar, it looked like things were gettin' cozy. So, come on, share."

Shaking her head, Charlotte lightly smacks Reese's hand away and laughs. "You're a piece of work, you know that?"

"I try. Well, are you gonna spill or what?"

"If you must know, yes we got cozy after you left. Quite cozy, actually."

"Oh really?" Reese raises an eyebrow. She leans forward, waiting for the other woman to continue.

Charlotte is nodding her head. The events from the other night are still fresh in her mind. "Of course, the two martinis I had after you left helped with he and I gettin' cozy," she chuckles under her breath. "We talked and talked, and before either of us realized, it was past two in the mornin' and we were the only ones left in the place."

"So he took you home?"

"Actually, I went home with him."

"That's what I meant," Reese grins. If she knows Charlotte well enough, what she says next won't surprise her at all. After leaving the bar that night, she suspected something would happen. "Come on, now… continue!"

Charlotte rolls her eyes, laughing at how Reese is hanging off every word. "So we get back to his place and we're stumbling up the steps, hands all over each other," she describes with a sly grin. "And we get to his bedroom…"

"You sure don't waste any time girl. Hittin' the sheets your second night back in town," Reese says, forking a piece of cheesecake into her mouth. She savors its taste, while listening to the other woman. "You never could resist jumpin' a man's bones if he was good lookin'. And Bradley sure is fine."

"Well, I wouldn't say I jumped his bones," Charlotte hesitates. "The clothes came off and there was lots of kissin'. Oh, there was lots of kissin'."

"But what?"

"He stopped."

"Stopped?"

"Yeah."

"Stopped what?" Reese's brow furrows with confusion. She's not sure what Charlotte means and it's taking her more than a few seconds to catch on.

"I'll let you think about that for another minute," Charlotte reaches for her fork, cuts up a small piece of cheesecake and eats it while she waits.

Finally, like a light bulb going off above Reese's head, she figures it out. "Oh… OH!" she exclaims then expresses dissatisfaction. "Oh… wait, so you're tellin' me, the two of you were naked in his bed and the man got a sudden case of performance anxiety?"

Charlotte nearly chokes on her cheesecake and starts coughing. She holds up her hand, signaling she's okay and reaches for a glass of sweet tea on the table. "Sheesh, warn a gal when you're gonna say somethin' blunt like that," she says, wiping her mouth. "Cheesecake almost went down the wrong pipe."

"Sorry," Reese moves closer, apologizing. "But still, that was a really bad time for Bradley to have some stage fright."

"It wasn't stage fright. Turns out, he was comin' to his senses and realizing sex wasn't gonna fix whatever's eatin' away at him. Before I could get him to explain, he's walkin' out of the bedroom, and I'm sittin' there all confused," Charlotte explains, finishing the last bite of her cheesecake and setting the plate down on the table. Sighing, she runs her fingers through her hair. "We talked about what happened over breakfast the next mornin' though."

Reese leans against the couch cushions, hugging one of the small pillows. "So to make up for the night before, he butters you up with breakfast," she comments. "Did he at least cook instead of takin' you out?" she asks and Charlotte nods her head. "Well good. So, now we're talkin' about breakfast."

"Yes, so he tells me the reason why he couldn't sleep with me was because he realized rebound sex wasn't gonna fix his problems."

"Wait, he flat out admitted he was usin' you?"

"Well, to be fair, I was usin' him too. The last time I had sex wasn't exactly an affair to remember," Charlotte bites down on her lower lip, quickly pushing the thought of Cooper out of her mind. "I had no idea Bradley was married though. Actually, divorced now but why didn't you tell me about that?"

"Guess I thought it wasn't important," Reese shrugs. "Not like his ex-wife matters. He's a free man. A single man."

"Yeah, I know, but you could've at least told me," Charlotte replies. "Poor guy still seems a little hurt about his divorce. I was ready to ream him out for leavin' me naked in his bed and it turns out the guy's mendin' a broken heart."

Reese tilts her head slightly, smiling at the other woman. "Charlotte King, look at you gettin' sympathetic. Guess it's safe for me to say you know how Bradley's feelin' too?" she suspects, thinking this is an opening for her to get Charlotte talking about what happened with Cooper. "I mean, you and Cooper weren't married, but you two were really gettin' serious if I recall."

Charlotte looks away, feeling her heart twinge a little at the mention of Cooper. She know Reese means well, by shifting the conversation to why she's back home, but she's just not ready to talk about it yet. "Yeah, we were. But that's got nothin' to do with Bradley and me, and the other night."

"Fine. We can revisit the subject some other time." Reese knows not to push, even though she can see the sliver of hurt lurking in the other woman's eyes. "So back to Bradley. Things good between the two of you?"

"Yeah, they are. We actually laughed about how we're both messed up people."

"Honey, it's not just you and him. I'd say we all are in some way."

"Did I tell ya he asked me out to dinner?" Charlotte casually slips the statement in and smiles demurely.

And now Reese is smiling too. Perhaps Bradley and Charlotte's near sexual escapade wasn't a complete bust. She brushes back a lock of blond hair behind her ear and adjusts her position on the couch. "Dinner, as in a date?"

"Yes. This Friday," she nods. "Not sure where we're goin' yet but I suppose he'll have all of that planned."

"I'm sure he will. If I know Bradley Nowak well enough, the man doesn't skimp on dates. And who knows, maybe this time around he won't leave you naked in his bed," Reese laughs, dodging the pillow coming at her from the other end of the couch.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: For those reading and wondering if Cooper will make an appearance in the story (but have been too afraid to ask). The answer is yes, he will. Cooper plays a huge role in the story and while it may seem small at first, if you are willing to keep on reading and take this ride, there will be a good amount of Cooper down the road. But yes, Cooper will be making an appearance soon, very soon.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

Charlotte's walking up the path and checks her watch. She has just enough time to get in, take a shower and get dressed. Just as she's pulling her keys out of her purse, she spots her mother coming up the other path toward the gatehouse.

"Wonderful," she mutters under her breath. The woman sure has some impeccable timing. She reaches the door first and turns around. "If you're here to talk, I don't have time Momma. I've got dinner plans."

"Oh. Well, okay. How about I sit around and talk while you get ready?" Augusta says, following her daughter inside. While Charlotte heads straight to the bedroom, she walks into the kitchen and opens the fridge. She sees the pitcher of sweet tea is almost finished and makes a mental note to bring over another one next time around. Still standing in front of the fridge, she notices there is barely any food inside and shakes her head. "Baby girl, why didn't you tell me you were runnin' low on meals. I could have had the cook whip up some of your favorites."

"What?" Charlotte sticks her head out into the hall. "I couldn't hear what you said."

"Food, darlin'. Looks like all you've been livin' on is the sweet tea," her mother replies.

"I've been pullin' some long days at the clinic, Momma. I barely have any time to cook, so I just pick up somethin' on my way home," Charlotte walks into the bathroom and starts up the shower. Fifteen minutes later, she comes out and sees her mother is still sitting in the living room. She ignores her and goes back into the bedroom. It's almost seven and Bradley's picking her up soon.

Charlotte comes back out, dressed in jeans and a grey blouse, she assumes meets her mother's approval judging from the older woman's reaction. "Wow Momma, you've been sittin' here the whole time? You know, you could've gone back to the house."

"I know, but I haven't seen you all week and I thought we'd spend the evening catchin' up. But I see you've got somewhere to go," Augusta tries not to sound disappointed. "Are you and Reese goin' out to dinner?"

"You're half right. I'm goin' out to dinner, but not with Reese," Charlotte hesitates, not wanting to say much else. She knows if she does, it'll lead to more questions, ones she isn't in the mood for answering.

"So you have a date then."

"Fine, yes I have a date. And he's going to be here soon."

And here come the questions.

"Well, good for you then. I'm glad to see you're gettin' out and havin' some fun. Have I ever met this man?" Augusta asks.

Charlotte can tell her mother is trying to pry for information. To ease her curiosity, she offers up a tidbit. It's just enough for her to be satisfied. "If you must know, I'm goin' to dinner with Bradley Nowak. You remember him?"

"Bradley, of course I remember him!" the older woman says a little too enthusiastically. She doesn't hide the smile that appears on her face. "You know, I heard from Meryl at church that he's newly single. You and he seem like a perfect fit."

"Momma…"

"Just sayin'. I've always felt you belonged with a good Southern gentleman," Augusta gets up, knowing this is her cue to leave.

And now Charlotte's heard enough. "Good Lord, Momma. It's just a date. Dinner, that's all." She opens the door for her mother. "Bradley's going to be here soon, so you should go."

Augusta is still smiling as she walks out. "Well, I hope your date goes well. Have a good night, darlin'."

* * *

><p>Bradley's got the windows in his car rolled down as he drives down Pineville Road. He parks the car across the street from the library and immediately rushes around to the passenger side to help Charlotte out of the car.<p>

"Restaurant's just a short walk. They don't have a lot, so I figure it's best to park here," he says as they cross the street. "When's the last time you had some good barbecue?"

"For the life of me, I can't remember," Charlotte's shaking her head. Truth is, it's been years since but she's too embarrassed to mention it to him. As they walk toward the restaurant, she can't help but notice how good Bradley looks. He's sporting dark blue jeans and a crème colored shirt. As for how he great he smells, it's a whole other story as she gets a whiff of his cologne every time a breeze blows.

Bradley holds the door open. "After you," he lets her enter first and follows. They head to a booth in the corner of the restaurant, somewhat private and away from the families that are out for Friday night dining. A waitress hands them a set of menus and they don't take long in deciding what to have for dinner.

"I know this isn't the fancy, schmancy stuff you're used to out in LA, but this place beats goin' to the Huddle House or Churpey's."

"Churpey's, I can't believe that place is still around."

"Yep. They still get their fair share of good customers. Bulk of their business comes in with the lunch rush, seein' as how almost everyone's around during the day."

"Makes sense. What about Huddle House, still servin' up good breakfast?" Charlotte sips her soda. She's sitting back in her chair, enjoying this date so far, even if they're just talking about the local restaurants and what's changed or better, hasn't.

Although this is the town she grew up in, she still feels like a visitor after living on the other end of the country for a long period of time.

"If there's time after we're done eatin', I'll take you to the park near the grade school. Bet you haven't seen that yet," he says as their waitress is placing their food on the table. Ribs for himself and chicken for Charlotte. Both plates are covered in barbecue sauce and the smell is enough to make anyone's mouth water.

He grabs some extra napkins and hands them to Charlotte. "Eat up," he's sliding the plate of chicken to her. "Nothin' like some good barbecue on a Friday night."

Charlotte's eyeing her meal, not sure of the best way to go about eating it. She's holding the knife and fork in her hands, still staring at the chicken and cole slaw and realizes it might create more of a mess if she starts dissecting the meat on her plate. Then she thinks about the alternative, using her hands because it's easier, but she's not too keen on getting barbecue sauce all over her fingers.

"You gonna will the food into your stomach or are you gonna eat it?" Bradley teases, dropping a rib bone into the basket. He reaches for another one and bites off the meat. "You've been starin' at your chicken for the past five minutes. Just use your hands, I won't think you're less of a lady if ya do."

Ditching the utensils, Charlotte picks the chicken leg up, sauce dripping from it and takes a bite. Not even five seconds later, she's licking her lips, savoring the taste of good ol' Southern BBQ. Finishing off the leg, she goes for the wing next and devours it. She catches Bradley grinning at her and raises a brow. "What?"

"You got some uh…" he brushes his lower lip with his index finger, "barbecue sauce on your um…"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, right there," he grabs his napkin and reaches across the table, wiping her lip. "All gone."

Charlotte smiles, licking the corners of her mouth. "Thanks."

"Sure," Bradley resumes eating. He finishes the last of his ribs and moves onto the cole slaw while Charlotte's still working on her chicken. He's trying not to laugh at the paper napkins piling off to the side, evidence of how many times she's wiped her fingers throughout the meal. He can tell it's been a while since she's eaten a meal with her hands.

Brow furrowed, Charlotte's wondering why Bradley's looking at her the way he is. "Okay, what is it now? Do I have sauce on my cheek?"

"No, jus' amused at how ladylike you're bein', that's all."

"And there's somethin' wrong with that?"

"Nothin' at all."

"Okay then," Charlotte nods, wiping her mouth and placing her napkin on the table. She glances around the restaurant, noticing how much more busier it's gotten since they arrived. The place is filled with a mix of families and couples, a typical Friday night she's surmising. "Should we order dessert?"

Bradley's shaking his head as he motions to the waitress for the check. "Nah, I've got other ideas," he takes the check, gives it a quick look then hands it back to the waitress with his credit card. "It's gettin' a little too noisy here and I still want to take you for a walk in the park by the school. We can get somethin' sweet from Doc's General nearby."

Charlotte's impressed as it's clear Bradley has a plan for the evening in mind. Then again, she's also glad he wants to go somewhere less noisy. While she doesn't want to admit it out loud yet, she's really enjoying this evening out with him. She supposes this is simply par for the course because it's a make up for last Saturday's bedroom mishap, but she can feel there's something more to this date, almost like it's the beginnings of him wanting to court her.

She ignores the thought as they leave. This is a date, just a date, she tells herself. No use in looking for something that may not be there.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

They make a quick exit out of the restaurant and he wraps his arm around her waist. Charlotte doesn't mind the gesture, but hesitates to lean into him. This is just a first date and she's not expecting to go home with a new boyfriend in her life. It's too soon and she's not ready to jump into another relationship. At least, not yet.

With milkshakes in hand, Bradley's leading Charlotte toward the park near the elementary school. It's a little past nine and there's no one else around except for them.

"So, tell me about this life you left behind in LA," he asks, as they walk down the lit path. "Why'd you say it's not everythin' it's made out to be?"

"'Cause it isn't," Charlotte replies. She's hoping he's not going to pry for some more information, but he does and now she's thinking of quick answers to his questions. "I don't know what you wanna hear, but let's just say it's not always fun in the sun and beaches. Heck, I barely had time to get to the beach considerin' the job I had."

"Then this move was what? A change?"

"Yeah, somethin' like that."

"Oh, okay…"

"You don't believe me?"

Bradley shrugs his shoulders, sips his milkshake and stops at a bench to sit down. He motions for her to join him, but she stays standing up. "I'm just sayin', you wantin' a change and you decide to come back here of all places. I guess I'm surprised, that's all. You seem like the type for big city livin' with how successful you are as a doctor."

Charlotte bites down on her lower lip. He's trying to get her to open up and she knows it. Talking about her thoughts and feelings, it's not her strong suit and she's never felt comfortable doing it. And here he is, sitting on a bench looking up at her and she's standing there, tight as a clam on her reasons for moving back home.

"Guess I just wanted to come back to a place I know," she replies. It's an honest answer even if it still doesn't answer his question. She's looking down at him and the expression on his face is unnerving her. Finally, she sits next to him and sighs softly. "Look, I'm not good at talkin' about stuff or sharin' my feelings. It's not the way I'm built. So, if you're lookin' for me to pour my heart out, it's not gonna happen."

"Okay, I won't push," Bradley nods and Charlotte gives him an apologetic smile. "But if you ever feel like talkin', I can be an ear to listen. I'm puttin' that out there. I've had my fair share of moments where I didn't feel like talkin' about what's on my mind, so I can understand where you're comin' from."

"Your divorce?"

"Yeah. Actually, it's more how my marriage fell apart."

Now Charlotte's the curious one. She finishes her milkshake and sets the cup down beside her. "Did you fall out of love with her? She cheat on ya?"

"Yes," Bradley stares straight ahead, a glint of hurt in his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't even be askin' considering how I'm not sharing anythin' with you," she says, feeling bad for bringing up the subject.

He turns and looks at Charlotte, shaking his head. "No, it's fine," he says. "I'm okay with talking about it. You see, Maggie and I, we met in law school, got married after we got our degrees and then we both started workin'. We got offers to work at competin' firms though, but that was okay with the both of us. We simply agreed that at the end of the day, work stays at work and we never bring our problems home."

"Still, that must've been hard," Charlotte says sympathetically, thinking she can relate to the whole working at competing firms thing. Oceanside Wellness and Pacific Wellcare comes to mind as she's sitting there.

"At first, it wasn't. But a few years into our marriage and our careers, it got tough," Bradley sighs deeply, running his fingers through his hair. "I started workin' late then she did, and the next thing we both knew, it's like we were these two people who just came home to eat and sleep. We just drifted apart I s'pose. But it still didn't stop me from tryin' to find ways to get our marriage to work," he shrugs his shoulders and pauses for a moment. "Then one night, I was walkin' out of a restaurant after havin' dinner with a client in the next town over. As I was crossin' the street, I spotted this woman comin' out of the hotel with a man. Come to realize it's my Maggie, with her arms around one of the attorneys she works with and she's kissin' him, looking like they just finished havin' a roll in the sack."

Charlotte gasps softly, the feeling is a familiar one for her. Billy and Trixie or whatever her name was.

"I went home and packed myself a bag. Sat in the livin' room and waited for her to come home. When she finally did, I told her our marriage was over. She didn't even fight me on it. She just admitted it to me right there on the spot that she fell in love with some other man."

"I'm sorry Brad."

He turns to look at her. "What are ya sorry about? You weren't the one who did the cheatin'." He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Anyhow, we tried to give our marriage another chance, ya know, try to salvage whatever's left but it didn't work out. I moved out six months ago and came back here. The last year has been hell," he shakes his head. "And now look, I'm unloadin' on ya when I shouldn't be doin' that. This night's s'posed to be 'bout you and me, not my messed up marriage."

Charlotte wants to reach over and comfort him, but doesn't and he's looking back at her, half-smiling. "Don't be. It's my fault for askin' you about it. I shouldn't have."

"Can I tell you somethin'?"

"Sure."

"You're the first person who's heard the whole messed up story. Don't know why I haven't told anyone else, but I guess I just felt comfortable tellin' you for some reason," Bradley squeezes her hand back as a show of gratitude for listening. "Guess it's 'cause I know you won't judge me."

"And why would I? You're a good man and a better person than I am. At least you're into the whole talkin' and sharin'. Like I said, not my forte."

Bradley nudges her shoulder. "Well, then I guess that's something we can work on for ya." His smile spreads from ear to ear and he stands up, holding out his hand to her. "Perhaps, for the next time we go out to dinner? Maybe?" He helps her stand and they begin walking back to the car.

"Sounds like someone's already thinkin' about a second date when we're not even done with the first," Charlotte chuckles and this time, she leans into his body a little when he wraps his arm around her waist as they walk to the car.

It's almost eleven when Bradley escorts Charlotte to the gatehouse, stopping at her door. They look at each other for a second, until Charlotte breaks the unexpected silence.

"I had a good time tonight. Thanks," she says, fighting back a small yawn.

"Judging from that yawn, I'll take your word for it," he laughs. "I did too. So, if I may ask, shall we do this again? Dinner next Friday? And this time, I promise to take you to a place where you can use utensils."

"I'm gonna hold ya to that," Charlotte nods with a smile. "Yes, I'd love to do this again."

"Great." Bradley replies, slowly closing the gap between them. Charlotte sees him coming closer and doesn't turn away. Their lips meet, gentle at first, both of them reveling in this unexpected moment. She responds with fervor, the kiss deepening a bit until they pull apart and he runs his finger along her cheek. "Good night, Charlotte."

"Good night, Bradley," Charlotte leans against the door and watches him walk back to his car. It isn't until after he drives off that she heads inside and falls onto the couch, feeling happy for the first time in a long while.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N:** Some dialogue in this chapter was lifted from Private Practice and manipulated to fit the scene. No copyright infringement intended._

_And now Cooper makes his appearance in the story._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

Cooper steps off the elevator at Oceanside Wellness, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. He pushes his sunglasses up and greets Dell with a cheery smile, which creeps the younger man out a little. "Thank you," he says, taking the stack of message slips.

"You look…tan," Dell's looking at him with an eyebrow raised. "Did you forget to pack the sunblock?"

Cooper takes out a package of coffee beans, sniffs it before handing it over to Dell. "This is for you. From Costa Rica, the best coffee in the world."

"Um, thanks?" the younger man replies. "So, you didn't touch monkeys?"

"That was the plan and then we went to the airport and said 'no plans, Costa Rica.' White sand beaches, fabulous music, steady stream of alcohol. It was very zen."

Dell's other brow goes up. "Zen?"

"It was relaxing," Cooper flips through the message slips.

"Coop, you're back."

Cooper turns around, still smiling. "Pete!" He reaches out, hugs him and Pete's looking at Dell, bewildered.

"He's zen," Dell explains, while Cooper takes out another package of coffee beans and hands it to Pete.

"Best coffee ever," Cooper says. He gathers his things and heads to his office. Quickly dropping his bag off, he's got one more package of coffee and decides it's a good peace offering to Charlotte. After spending two weeks away, he's feeling a lot more open to the idea of possibly letting her back into his life. He walks down the corridor, ready to knock on her door when he stops and sees the empty office.

He thinks it's a dream, so he checks the name on the glass, Charlotte King. Okay, right office, but where is she? Turning around, he walks over to Dell. "Hey, why is Charlotte's office empty?"

"I have no idea. It was like that when I came in last Monday," Dell replies.

Cooper turns on his heel, walks to the staircase and heads down to the fourth floor. There's one person he thinks will have the answer and now he's knocking on the door to Sheldon Wallace's office. "Hey," he barges in and Sheldon looks up. "Any idea why Charlotte's office is empty?"

"Well, hello and welcome back, Cooper," Sheldon greets.

"Thanks, now can you answer my question? Where is Charlotte?"

"I thought her office would be enough of an explanation. She's gone, Cooper."

"What do you mean she's gone?"

"Gone, as in she decided it was time for a change," Sheldon watches the expression change on Cooper's face and while he won't admit it, he feels bad for him. "So she packed up and left. If you're looking for more answers, I'm sorry to say I don't have any."

Cooper looks at the bag of coffee beans in his hand and places it on Sheldon's desk. "Thanks. Uh, here you can have these. It's um, coffee. Enjoy." He walks out of Sheldon's office, heads back upstairs and is once again standing outside of Charlotte's office.

This isn't how it's supposed to be. He's back and Charlotte should be here too. Two weeks of pouring his heart out to Violet and finally admitting he's still in love with Charlotte, wants her back, and this is what he gets? An empty office and a girlfriend, -correction- an ex-girlfriend who's left town, never to be heard from again.

Useless stupid love. The words echo in his head as he stands there, head leaning against the doorway. It's safe to say he's not feeling zen anymore.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Charlotte walks toward the main house, and wonders what the reason is for Duke asking her to come by. As she opens the door to step inside, she hears laughter from the sitting room, follows it and sees Momma and Duke sitting on the couch. This is an odd sight for her and she suspects they've been drinking but notices there are no glasses present and the bourbon remains untouched. Then she finally spots the vase of flowers on the table and the card sitting next to it.

"Well, this is something unexpected," she says, sitting in the chair adjacent to them. "When I got your text earlier, you made it sound like we were havin' some sort of family meeting, Duke."

Duke's shaking his head and smiling. He points to the flowers. "No family meetin', but Momma and I wanted you to come by to pick that up. So, who's the lucky man?"

Charlotte reaches for the card and pulls it out of its envelope. Now she's the one shaking her head with an added eyeroll for effect. She sets the card down and takes a good look at the them. Lilies.

"Are those from that Cooper fella? He send you apology flowers or somethin'?" Momma asks.

"No, they're not from Cooper."

"Oh, so they're from Bradley," the older woman surmises. "What a sweet gesture. Darlin', you need to bring him by here for dinner one of these nights. I'd sure love the chance of gettin' to know him again."

Charlotte tilts her head slightly and gives her mother a look. "Really, Momma. You sure you're not just sayin' that because he's a good, Southern man you always pictured me datin'?"

"And what gives you that idea?" Augusta leans forward to take the card, but Charlotte manages to swipe it away and tucks it into her purse. "Come now, baby girl. I'd like to know what it says."

"None of your business," Charlotte rises from her chair and reaches for the vase. She takes a moment to inhale the scent before turning to her mother and brother. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll be taking these. You need anythin' else?" Duke and Momma both shake their heads. "Alright then. Have a good evenin', the both of ya."

As soon as Charlotte's out of earshot, Duke turns to his mother and grins. "He kissed her the other night. I was walkin' on the grounds, comin' back from the stables and I spotted them on her doorstep. You got nothin' to worry about with Bradley, Momma. He's a good man."

.:..:.

Shutting the door with her feet, Charlotte lets her purse slide off her shoulder and walks to her dining table. She places the flowers in the middle and stands back to get a look at them. Bradley Nowak, sweet and charming. She goes to her purse and takes out the card, reading it again.

_Charlotte, _

_I hope these flowers are as sweet as your kiss._

_-Bradley_

Smiling, Charlotte tucks the card amid the floral arrangement and inhales them once more. There's a shrill ring coming from her purse and she reaches inside, pulling her cell phone out. "Hi," she says. "Thanks for the flowers. But you really didn't have to."

"And what if I wanted to? It's not every day I have a good time with a beautiful woman. Think of this as a prelude to our second date for this Friday."

Here he goes with the flattery again, she thinks to herself. She walks down the hall to her bedroom and sits at the edge of the bed. Kicking off her shoes, she brings her feet up and stretches out, leaning against the pillows. "I had a good time too. Best I've had in a while, I will admit."

"Good. That's what I like to hear. So, how was your day?"

"Clinic wasn't too busy. Saw patients, did a bunch of paperwork. Just another day of bein' a doctor. And yours?"

"Well…" he drawls. "I'm still in the office. I'm stuck workin' late on a case. Thought I'd take a few minutes out of my evenin' to give you a call and see if you got the flowers."

"I did, so I guess you can get back to work now," Charlotte looks at the clock on her dresser. "I should go and have somethin' to eat since I just got home."

She hears him sigh softly, then the click of a pen before he says, "And what if I don't want to? Did you ever think the reason for me callin' you is so I can avoid doin' some work. Being a lawyer can be so overrated sometimes."

"I can say the same for bein' a doctor," she moves off the bed and starts toward the kitchen. With the phone perched between her shoulder and ear, she reaches into the fridge and takes out a container of leftover pasta from the night before. "But I like what I do, so I can't complain. I'm assumin' you feel the same about your work."

"I do, even if some of the cases I work on make watching paint dry seem more enticin' at times. Sorry, I shouldn't be sayin' that 'bout my clients. They're the ones who give me the money to pay my bills. Without them, I'd be a schmuck who wouldn't be able to pay for dinner this Friday."

"Or I could be the one to treat this time," Charlotte interjects. She hears the microwave beeping and opens the door, taking out the plate of pasta. She sets it down on the table and pulls out a chair to sit. "I don't mind, you know."

Bradley quickly voices his disagreement. "No, you're not goin' to pay. I'm the one askin' you out on a second date, it's only right that I pay."

"We'll see 'bout that. Just 'cause you're being a good Southern gentleman, it doesn't mean you gotta be the one always payin' for meals. I make a decent livin' in case you forgot. I don't need a man payin' for all my meals every time I go out with him."

"Fine. Fine, we'll see who can pull their credit card out the fastest on Friday," he laughs and Charlotte does too. "Okay, now I really need to get some of this stuff done or else I'm gonna be here all night. You have yourself a good rest of the evenin',"

"You, too. Try not to work too hard," Charlotte looks down at her plate, her food has probably gone cold by now.

"G'night Charlotte."

"G'night Brad," Charlotte puts her phone down and starts in on her dinner, which is no longer warm. As she's eating, her eyes are drawn to the flowers sitting in the middle of the table and she's reflecting on the kiss they shared at the doorstep the other night. The memory causes her to smile, because it's obvious Bradley's got a thing for her. It isn't often a man sends her flowers after their first date and then follows it up with a call. Hell, she can't recall a time Cooper did anything of the sort.

So, if Bradley wants to wine and dine her, she's going to enjoy it and see where this goes. After all, she left LA with the intention of starting new and dating him is definitely a way of starting fresh.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

It's an early end to the work day for Charlotte, allowing her the time to run some errands around town before heading home. She's got a list in her hand, courtesy of Momma, with some items she needs to pick up at the store. Looking at the list, she shakes her head as two of the items are a bottle of vodka and a bottle of bourbon. She assumes there's none left at the house and wonders if it was Duke or Momma that drained the last of the alcohol.

The errands don't take long to get done and Charlotte is on her way home just as the sun is beginning to set. She pulls up the drive, parks the car and grabs the bags from the back. Entering the house, she hears laughter from the dining room. Sounds like Duke and Momma, she thinks. But there's also a third voice, one she doesn't recognize.

As she walks past the dining room, Duke calls out to her. "Charlotte, you're back early. Momma and I weren't expectin' you until later."

"Clinic was slow, so I decided to shorten my day," she replies and notices the unfamiliar face in the room. She assumes this is the woman Landry set him up with. "I see you've got some company. I'm gonna drop these off in the kitchen and head on out."

"Charlotte, darlin', you get everythin' on the list?" Augusta asks.

"Yes, Momma. And please, I'd appreciate if you have someone else tend to your alcoholic needs next time around?" Charlotte scolds and continues down the hallway to the kitchen.

She unloads the contents of both bags and puts each item in its proper place. As for the bourbon and vodka, she leaves it sitting on the counter. If Momma, Landry, and Duke want to fill their addiction, they can come and get it. Bad enough, she did them the favor of buying it when she knows full well she shouldn't be spending her money on feeding their vices.

Charlotte walks into the gatehouse and notices a box sitting on her coffee table. On top, there's a note from Momma:

Charlotte-

I had Alice bring this down from the attic. Thought you'd want to take a look inside and see if there's anything you want to keep.

Momma

Dropping her purse next to it, she sits down and opens the box. Inside is a bunch of old mementos, causing Charlotte to laugh a little. There's a high school yearbook, her cap and gown, old achievement certificates and an envelope full of extra wallet size graduation photos, along with a few 5x7's.

But she's not done yet. There are more "treasures of the past" inside. She reaches in and takes out a shoebox. Grinning, she already knows what's in it.

She sits back with the shoebox on her lap and slowly lifts the lid. Still grinning, she's now chuckling softly at the photos scattered inside. Picking one up and looking it at, she realizes it's a photo of Bradley, Reese and her during college. The memory flashes in her mind, a weekend party and Reese had twisted her arm to go.

Setting the photo down, turns the box over and scatters all of the pictures on the table, realizing the photos date all the way to high school. Pushing some aside, her eyes fall on a select few and suddenly, old memories from years ago play out in her head.

"_Hey," Bradley leans against the hood of his car, arms crossed in front of his chest. "You don't look so peachy. Somethin' bad happen?"_

_Charlotte stops in front of him, obviously annoyed. "Billy."_

_He should've figured. Anytime she's wearing that sourpuss look on her face, it means Billy's being a jerk again. "You want me to go knock some sense into him? 'Cause I can, if you want me to," he spots Billy coming out of the school building and turns to Charlotte. "I can do it right now."_

"_No, it's okay. You don't have to," she smiles gratefully at him. It's nice to have friends that care, especially someone like Bradley. At least he's willing to do things for her, watch out for her, unlike her knucklehead younger brothers. She watches Billy walk past her and scowls. "Can you take me home? He was s'posed to, but you know…"_

"_Sure, sure," Bradley nods. He pulls out his car keys and opens the passenger door for her. He walks around the car and makes eye contact with Billy before getting inside. He's dying to say something to him, but resists the urge to. _

_Charlotte stares out the window the whole way home, not saying much. In fact, she's unusually quiet. Whenever Billy and her fight, she's rambling and venting during the ride, but this time is different. He quickly glances at her and notices the forlorn look on her face, worrying him. _

"_You sure everythin' is okay? You're awfully quiet," he says with concern. _

"_Yeah, I'm fine. Just tryin' to understand why my boyfriend can be so hard headed sometimes," she replies, turning to Bradley. "I swear, it seems like he's got rocks for brains."_

"_What were the two of you arguin' about?"_

"_Wasn't really an argument. More like he's upset about me goin' away for college. Not like this is news to him. I've only been talkin' about it for months now."_

"_I take it he wants you to stay around town?" Bradley surmises. Billy seems like the type to not leave home for college. He makes the turn and heads up the long path leading to Charlotte's house. "Don't let it bother ya too much. If he loves ya, he'll come around. He's gotta realize that you're doin' what's best for you and how you're not gonna pass up goin' to a good college, just 'cause he wants to keep you close."_

_Charlotte sighs softly. Good to know she's got someone who understands what she's talking about. "Thanks."_

"_For what?" Bradley raises a brow. _

"_For being one of the few people who gets what I'm sayin'."_

"_Just bein' a good friend," he shrugs, stopping the car in front of Charlotte's house. "And here we are. You need a ride tomorrow mornin'? I can swing by if ya want."_

_Charlotte grabs her bag and shakes her head. "No, it's okay. I'll drive myself tomorrow or I'll call Reese."_

"_Alright," he tries not to sound too disappointed. Not that he was expecting her to take him up on the offer, but he figures it's worth asking. "I'll see ya tomorrow then."_

"_Yeah. Thanks again."_

"_No problem. Hope tomorrow's a better day," he says as she gets out of the car. He stays around for a few minutes, watching her go inside the house before finally putting the car in gear and driving away._

Charlotte's cell phone chimes, jolting her back to the present. She opens her purse and takes out her phone. It's a text from Reese, saying she's cancelling on their dinner tomorrow because she has to fly out to San Francisco for an emergency meeting with a client. She sends back a message, letting her know it's fine and that she'll take a rain check for next week before tossing her phone aside.

The photos are still in a scattered mess on the table. She's compelled to put them all into one neat pile, but chooses not to. Instead, she's pushing them around, separating the photos taken in college from everything else.

"_Whoa, what happened in here?" Bradley says from the doorway, startling Charlotte. He comes into the room and places a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya."_

"_It's okay. I didn't realize I left the door open," Charlotte sits at the edge of the bed. _

"_Not done packin', I see," he looks around the room. There's boxes piled along the wall. He suspects half of them are hers and the remaining are Reese's. "Jesus, you and Reese are such packrats."_

"_Funny," she pouts. "For your information, these boxes right here," pointing to the ones by her bed, "are mine. All those, they're hers. I had Billy drive most of my stuff home last week."_

_Bradley pulls out the desk chair and sits down. "Ah, Billy. Will he be comin' back up for Commencement this weekend?"_

"_Of course. Why wouldn't he be comin'?"_

"_No reason, just askin'."_

_He leans back in the chair, balancing it on its back legs. He catches the look Charlotte's giving him and laughs. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna fall over."_

"_Suit yourself," Charlotte chuckles under her breath. She carefully places a stack of books inside the box in front of her. "Just don't complain how you're achin' when you bump your head."_

"_Fine," Bradley sets the chair back to the normal position. He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees and smirks at her. "You can quit your worryin'. I ain't gonna fall over anymore." He notices how her picture frames are still sitting on her dresser. Deciding to lend a helping hand, he gets up and starts wrapping them in some bubble wrap. She mutters something about being careful and he tells her not to worry as he holds one of them in his hands. It's got a picture of Billy and Charlotte in it and he sighs softly to himself._

"_Thanks for the help, but I can take it from here," she speaks up from behind him, taking the already bubble-wrapped frames and putting them into the box. _

"_Hey, you forgot one," he says, quickly wrapping it and handing the frame over to her. Raking his fingers through his hair, he smiles at her and takes another quick glance around the room. "So, you excited about headin' back home? I bet Billy's happy to have you back in town."_

_Charlotte nods as she's taping one of the boxes closed. "Yeah, he is. It's just for the summer though and he's well aware of it."_

"_Oh, med school, right?"_

"_Startin' at Johns Hopkins in the fall."_

_Bradley notices the sudden downcast look on Charlotte's face. He moves toward her, pushing her chin up with his hand. "Hey, what's with the sad eyes? We're graduatin'. You're on your way to bein' a doctor, me a lawyer… we got a whole lot of a stuff to look forward to."_

"_It's nothin'," she shakes her head. _

"_Come on, I know you. Somethin' is bothering you."_

_Charlotte leans against the bed. She pushes her hair behind her ears and gives him a half-hearted smile. "Really, it's nothin'. All I was thinkin' about was Billy givin' me a hard time about going away for med school. He hasn't said anythin' yet, but I just know we're gonna get into words about it sometime over the summer."_

_Bradley rolls his eyes. Typical Billy. Of course he's got something to say about her going away for med school. It never changes with the guy and he often wonders what Charlotte sees in him in the first place. Then again, Billy's always been good to her, aside from these minor disagreements. So, it really isn't his place to comment on her relationship with the guy. _

"_I'm sure he'll come around," Bradley says comfortingly. "Heck, if you were my girl, I'd understand. It's not every day someone from our neck of the woods gets into a big fancy school like Johns Hopkins. I wouldn't worry about Billy. I'm guessin' he'll do the same thing and come visit you every chance he gets. I mean, the guy loves ya and all." He says with a laugh. Truth is, he's thinking the same thing to himself, that he'd visit Charlotte every chance possible if she was his girl. _

_She reaches for his hand, smiles at him and says, "You always know what to say to make me feel better."_

_He stares at her and fights the urge to pull her close. Luckily for him, she lets go and resumes packing. He rubs his palms against his jeans and takes a deep breath. Charlotte has a boyfriend, he reminds himself. He's quiet for a minute, brings his hand to the back of his neck and chuckles, "It's nothin'. Friends are s'posed to say these things. And I prefer seein' you smile more than anythin' else."_

"_Still, thank you."_

"_Anytime, Charlotte. Anytime," he stands and pulls her up from the floor. "Come on, let's go find out where Reese is. Last I saw her, she was runnin' off sayin' she was picking up our dinner orders."_

Charlotte's quiet reverie is interrupted when her cell phone chimes again. She picks it up and reads the text message on the screen.

'Just wanted to say hi and I'm lookin' forward to Friday.' - brad

She smiles, types a short message back and places her phone back on the table. Collecting the photos into one neat pile, she places them back in the shoebox but decides to not put it away in the larger box. Instead, she places it under her table, thinking another trip down memory lane could be in order sometime soon.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Sheldon walks down the corridor of Oceanside Wellness, heading toward Violet's office. He's been seeing patients in there, actually it's Violet's patients he's been seeing until the therapist herself returns from wherever she is. He goes past the kitchen and spots Cooper sitting on the stool, staring at the banana in his hands. It's an intriguing stare, which has him curious as he's now stopping at the door.

"Are you going to eat the banana or make love to it?" he says, bringing Cooper out of his apparent daze.

"I'm sorry, what?" Cooper looks up at him, confused.

Sheldon points, "The banana. Looks like you can't decide what to do with it."

Cooper puts the banana down. "I was just thinking. That's all."

Sheldon enters the kitchen and stands beside him. "You seem a bit bothered lately. Anything in particular you want to share?"

"Not really," Cooper shakes his head. Why would he want to tell Sheldon anything in the first place? They're colleagues, not friends, and frankly he feels the reason for Charlotte's departure has something to do with Sheldon. But that's just an assumption. It still doesn't stop him from being a little annoyed at the diminutive doctor. "Why do you want to know anyway?"

"No reason," Sheldon shrugs. "You've been back from your trip for a few days and I noticed you look a bit troubled, that's all. Anyhow, I should get to Violet's office. I've got a patient arriving in a bit."

Cooper watches him walk out and he finally works up the nerve to say something. "It's because of you she left, isn't it?"

Sheldon turns around and tries not to laugh at the assumption. "I'm sorry?"

"Charlotte. She's gone because you said something to her."

"And where are you drawing that conclusion from?"

"Because it seems like you're the only one who knows why she's gone," he folds his arms across his chest, waiting for an answer. "Come on Sheldon, you said something. I know you did. I can see it on your face."

"What makes you think something I said sent Charlotte packing? If I recall, I wasn't the one who broke up with her," he retorts. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a patient," he turns around and leaves.

"I know it's you that said something, and I'm going to find out!" he shouts as Sheldon exits the kitchen. He lets out a frustrated sigh, peeling open the banana. He can already tell this is going to be a long day.

.:.:.

Charlotte checks her watch again as she sits at the table inside China Star Restaurant. She recalls agreeing to meet Reese for dinner at 7 and it's now 7:30. Just as she's about to pull out her phone and give her a call, Reese is rushing to the table. She drops her purse on the chair next to hers and sits down, blowing stray wisps of blonde hair out of her eyes.

"I was beginnin' to think you forgot about dinner," Charlotte says. She sips some water and waits for the other woman to get settled in.

"Meetin' ran late. Sorry, I should have sent you a text or somethin'," Reese apologizes. She picks up the menu and starts looking it over. "You haven't ordered yet, have you?"

Charlotte shakes her head. "Nothin' big. Just had a small bowl of soup to tide me over. But now that you're here, we can order." She feels her stomach growl a little as she stares at the various dishes on the menu. Her last meal was around two and she hasn't had much to eat since. At this point, she's willing to eat anything, as long as it's appetizing. "I was thinkin' the seafood pan-fried noodles. What about you?"

"Sounds good to me," Reese agrees and adds, "Also an order of beef with broccoli and an eggroll. I'm starvin'. All I could think about in that meetin' was dinner. I would have been here on time if the other architects I'm workin' with would stop bein' so indecisive."

"On the bright side, this place isn't busy, so it shouldn't take long for our orders to cook," Charlotte signals someone from the wait staff to come over. "Hi, we'll have the seafood pan-fried noodles, beef with broccoli and an eggroll for her." She hands the menus to the waiter and brings her attention back to Reese. "How was San Francisco?"

"Busy. Long hours. All I did was sleep and work. Besides, we're here to talk about your date with Bradley, not about my business trip."

"What do you wanna know?"

"Like, how it went?" Reese raises a brow. She can tell Charlotte's holding something back or maybe not and just torturing her. It's typical Charlotte King, sitting there and smiling. "Will you quit it with the Cheshire cat grin and tell me already. You know how much I hate it when you go all quiet like this."

Charlotte smiles demurely for a few more seconds, milking this moment just a little while longer because she enjoys seeing Reese ache with suspense. Finally, she stops swirling the straw in her glass and says, "It went well. A little too well, I think."

Reese's other brow goes up. "A little too well? What do you mean by that? You two sleep together? Did he rock your world?"

"No."

"No bedroom fun. Okay, what'd you two do?"

"Well, our second date was more like a lunch. Turns out, he got tied up with work on Friday night, so we moved it to Saturday afternoon," Charlotte replies. She spots the waiter arriving with their food and waits until everything is laid out in front of them before continuing. "I was thinking our date was going to be lunch, considerin' dinner was cancelled. Saturday afternoon arrives and he picks me up, sayin' we're going somewhere outside of town. Turns out it wasn't a restaurant he was takin' me to, it was a park."

"Let me guess. Bradley took you to Little River."

Charlotte nods and now she's wondering if Reese had a hand in planning this picnic. "You knew, didn't you?"

"Yes and no," Reese admits. She's unable to hide the smile on her face as she puts a portion of the seafood pan-fried noodles on her plate. All the while, she's trying effortlessly to avoid looking up at Charlotte, who's giving her the most scrutinizing look. "He asked for ideas, okay? The man felt bad for cancellin' on ya on such short notice. So, I suggested a picnic and he did the rest."

"Alright, alright. You're forgiven."

"Okay, thanks?" Reese says, even though she has no idea what Charlotte's forgiving her for. A grin forms on her face as she listens to Charlotte. While things may not be going so well in the romance department, it's always nice to live vicariously through someone else.

Charlotte ignores the confused look and continues. "Well, he put together quite a spread for a picnic lunch. Had me wonderin' if he made it all himself, but he graciously admitted he had Millie scramble somethin' up," she takes a few seconds to enjoy her food, which is surprisingly still warm considering how she hadn't taken a bite of it yet. It's satisfying, but not as good as any of the places she's using to eating at out in LA. Sure, this is Alabama and they're not exactly known for being experts in Chinese cooking, but still, the quality is something she misses.

"So, picnic. Sandwiches. I'm guessin' you two spent some time by the lake?"

"Yes."

"And what'd you two talk about?"

Charlotte shakes her head, chuckling. "Look at you, Miss Nosy. And here I thought my momma was bad. You're ten times worse."

"Hey now. I am nothin' like your momma," Reese brings her hand to her chest, feigning hurt. "Alright, you don't have to tell me everythin'. I just enjoy hearin' about this stuff and honestly, it's nice to see you smilin' and in better spirits. Bad enough Cooper gone and broke your heart. I guess what I'm tryin' to say is I'm glad Bradley's the one givin' you that fresh start in the dating world again."

It takes a moment for Reese's words to completely settle on Charlotte, realizing that she is right about Bradley giving her a fresh start. After everything that happened with Cooper, she didn't expect to be seeing someone this soon. The thought of another relationship isn't at the forefront, but it's definitely something she'd entertain should Bradley and she progress to that stage. Right now, she's content with the way things are, dating.

She looks up to find the grin on Reese's face still hasn't disappeared. "What are you smilin' about?"

"You're thinkin' about him, aren't you?" Reese raises an eyebrow. Charlotte's shaking her head trying to deny it, but she knows better and presses a little further. As in the past, she's always had fun needling her, especially when she can tell there's something on her mind. "I know that look, Char, and you forget how well I know you. You may be able to hide your thoughts and feelins' from everyone who knew you in LA, but it isn't gonna happen here. You got Bradley on the mind. He's findin' a way into your heart, isn't he?"

"Not sure you can say that after only two dates," Charlotte replies.

"But it's clear he's interested. The guy sent you flowers after your first date, then calls to make sure you got 'em. He takes you for a picnic by the lake for your second," Reese happily recaps, for her own amusement and for Charlotte's benefit. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say Bradley Nowak's courtin' ya."

"No, he is not."

"When's the third date?"

Charlotte rolls her eyes, but she also can't hide the smile that's appearing on her face. "Next Saturday," she pauses and Reese is laughing. "Fine, so maybe he is courtin' me. And maybe the man is on my mind. Doesn't mean he and I are gonna go jumpin' into a relationship. I'm happy with the way things are right now. No strings, just two people goin' out and havin' fun."

"And isn't that how you and Cooper got started? No strings?"

"Actually, it was just sex," Charlotte clarifies.

"But there was somethin' there that made it turn into a relationship," Reese tilts her had questioningly.

Charlotte sighs. She's now wondering how talk of Cooper got into this conversation. "Yes, but that was all him. He's the one who wanted us to be more than just sex."

"And if Bradley wanted to be more than just friends? Because, that's what the two of you are, right? Just friends? Look, he may not be sayin' it out loud, 'cause this isn't high school anymore, but the man's interested in you. Or that's just the feelin' I'm getting."

"Mmhmm, a feelin' huh?" she nods, looks away and takes a second to think about this. Reese sits, waiting patiently for an answer because that's all she's been doing since she got here, asking questions and waiting for answers. Finally, she says, "Look, I'm happy and clearly Bradley's happy with the way things are goin' right now. Whether or not he wants us to be more than just friends, well, that's somethin' for him to decide."

"And for you to decide too," Reese adds. "Hon, last I checked, relationships have two people who share mutual feelings, not one."

Charlotte's brow furrows, wondering how they went from talking about Bradley courting her to talk of being in a relationship. Somewhere in this conversation there's a left turn she clearly missed.

"I know that," she says, thinking it's time for a change in subject. All this talk of dating, romance and relationships is making her feel a little uncomfortable for some reason. "Like I said, Bradley and I are content with the way things are. We're friends. Just friends. And if he and I were to become more than that, then it'll happen when we're good and ready. For now, how 'bout I just enjoy the whole datin' thing."

"Fine," Reese says, despite having this feeling that Charlotte and Bradley won't be 'just friends' for much longer. "But you'll let me know when somethin' happens, right?"

"Yes!" Charlotte says exasperatingly. "Now will you quit it? Jesus, you are worse than my momma."

"Am not."

It's almost ten o'clock when they're finally walking out of China Star. Reese and Charlotte are heading in the same direction.

"Sorry if I was being a pest," Reese apologizes.

"No, it's okay. You're just bein' a good friend," Charlotte smiles. She opens her car door and tosses her purse inside. "A bit nosy, but I know you mean well. Get home safe."

"You too," Reese gets into her car and drives away a minute later.

Just as Charlotte's about to start her car, her cell phone chimes. It's a text message and she hedges a guess as to who it's from. Grabbing her phone, she checks the screen, laughs softly and texts back a reply.

"Just friends," she murmurs as she starts her car and pulls out onto the road. "No strings. Just friends."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Bradley glances over his shoulder to check the time. It's getting late and he's still sitting in his office, stuck working on the opening arguments for a case coming up in a few days. Tossing his legal pad onto the desk, he stands up and stretches his arms above his head. His back cracks a little and he winces. It's just another sign he's getting older, he thinks to himself.

He takes a moment to contemplate whether or not to head home. The day's been long enough, with a client meeting lasting longer than he initially planned, to working on this case all evening. The last thing he wants to do is spend the night here, which isn't an uncommon thing, but the idea of going home and sleeping in a bed is more sensible. He doesn't spend too much time contemplating the decision and shoves his phone into his pocket, grabs his briefcase and car keys, and undoes his tie as he walks out of the office.

Tomorrow is another day.

The ride home is a quiet one for him with barely anyone on the road. He's only been back in town for six months, but the late evening drive reminds him of the long days he used to work up in New Haven. Dropping his keys on the table by the front door, he heads straight to the kitchen and grabs a bottle of beer from inside the fridge.

He walks from the kitchen into the living room and falls onto the couch. Propping his feet up on the table, he unbuttons his shirt and gulps down a mouthful of beer. The room is quiet, maybe a little too quiet for his liking, so he reaches for the stereo remote and presses the 'ON' button. Music fills the room and he's content with the background noise. He takes another sip of beer, closes his eyes and tips his head back.

The joys of being a single guy again, being able to just kick back and relax, with no one to answer to or please. No interruptions, it's just him, alone in his house, with his music and his thoughts.

And then his cell phone rings.

Bradley sits up and pulls the noisy object out of his pocket. "Hello," he says, smiling. "And to what do I owe this pleasure, Reese?"

"Nothin', just thought I'd call to see how things were goin' with you," she replies.

He rolls his eyes, takes another sip of beer and sets the bottle on the table. "Not much. Same ol' borin' life, I'm sure you know how it is these days. Mostly work…workin' late, coming home and rollin' into bed, only to roll back out, head into the office and do the same thing all over again."

Reese shakes her head, says with a chuckle, "At least one of us is home. I'm still sittin' here in front of my drafting desk in the office."

Bradley checks the time. "You are somethin' else. It's almost eleven, you should go home. Stop workin' so hard," he says, knowing that he's guilty of doing the same exact thing from time to time, more so recently. "Don't make me drive down there and escort you outta that office."

"Don't worry, I'm headin' home soon," she reassures, and is somewhat touched that he cares. Aside from Charlotte, Bradley's the only other person who looks out for her.

"Good. 'Cause you know, I do worry."

"Aww, that's too sweet, but I am a grown woman. I don't need a man worryin' about me. I can take care of myself."

Bradley doesn't bother hiding the laugh that comes out of his mouth. "I don't need a man worryin' about me," he mimics in a high-pitched voice and now Reese is laughing on the other end. "I see Charlotte's rubbin' off on you, 'cause that's such a Charlotte King thing to say."

"What makes you think that?"

"Nothin'. It's something I'd expect comin' from her, being how she's all independent woman and such."

"Does that bother you?"

"Does what?"

"Charlotte. I mean she's not exactly the damsel in distress type," Reese smirks, wondering if Bradley can tell if she's fishing for information. After all, the purpose of her call wasn't just to say hello, but to hear his take on things with her best friend.

Bradley runs fingers through his hair. "Don't I know it," he reaches for his beer and sighs. It's not one of those frustrated kind of sighs, but more like a 'sure she's like that but I don't mind it at all' sigh and it's making him smile a little. "It doesn't bother me at all. It's nothin' new. Charlie's always had that independent thing goin', all the way back to high school."

"Charlie. I sure haven't heard that nickname in a long time," Reese replies. She wonders if her brothers still call her that or if Charlotte still likes being called Charlie.

"She'd probably smack me if I started callin' her Charlie again."

"Well, it isn't a girly kind of nickname, you know."

"Yeah. But I'd just love to see the look on her face."

"Go ahead and try," Reese challenges. She zips up her bag and slings the strap over her shoulder. "You and Charlotte seem to be getting along well. Seems like the both of you slipped right back into being close friends."

"Yeah, we have. It feels good to have another soul to connect to after the mess that was the last year and a half," he finishes off his beer and sets the empty bottle on the table. He swings his legs around, stretches out completely on the couch.

Reese smiles as she walks toward her car. "I'd say the feelin' is mutual comin' from Charlotte. We were out at dinner the other night and her face pretty much lit up when I asked about you."

"Oh, talkin' about me behind my back, huh?"

"Girl talk, sweetie. And believe me, you've got nothin' to worry about."

Bradley's brow furrows and he sits up a little. Now Reese has his full attention, wondering what she means. "And what are you gettin' at? Look, Charlie… I mean, Charlotte and I, we're just friends."

"Uh huh, and nothin' more," Reese rolls her eyes, opens her car door and tosses her bag inside. "I heard that story already. Tell me, how many dates have the two of you been on?"

"Two."

"And I'm guessin' date number three is comin' up soon, right?"

Bradley's brow goes up. How does she know this? He smirks, realizing she must've heard it from Charlotte. "Yep, this weekend. No idea what we'll be doin', but I'll figure somethin' out. Charlotte's an easy woman to please. Can't tell ya how much I like that about her."

"Sounds like you're startin' to like a lot of things about Charlotte. But sayin' she's an easy woman to please? Nonsense."

"Well, maybe she isn't, but to me, she is. Right now, at least. She's just…different and I like it."

"Brad, from the way things are soundin', I'm starting to think you've got feelins' for her. Do ya?"

Bradley doesn't answer right away. It's a question he's been avoiding himself, trying not to think about it. Who falls for someone after only two dates? Well, he does, or he feels like he's falling for her. She's different from Maggie and it doesn't help that he's always had feelings for Charlotte, going all the way back to high school.

Reese's voice interrupts his moment of thought. "Ah, silence. I'll take that as a yes." She gets into her car and buckles her seatbelt. "Alright, now I love talkin' to you, but I'm in my car now and I don't do the whole drivin' while talkin' thing. So, I'm gonna leave you be and let you think about what I asked," she says, turning the ignition. "If it helps, I'd say Charlotte's thinkin' the same things too. You know, feelings, but you didn't hear it from me."

"Thanks Reese."

Bradley sits there, staring at his phone. He thinks about calling Charlotte, but decides not to when he looks at the time. Sure, it's possible she's still up, but the gentleman in him doesn't want to assume. Instead, he's sitting there with his thoughts, much like before Reese called. Only now, those thoughts are more about Charlotte than anything else.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Charlotte shuts the door to her office and falls into her chair. She's been feeling a little queasy all day and somewhat exhausted. This week has been slightly busier than usual, which leads her to think it's just exhaustion she's feeling and that a weekend of relaxation will do her some good.

Just for good measure and reassurances, she presses a hand to her forehead. Not warm, she thinks to herself and even goes as far as to check her temperature with the thermometer. 98.6, normal. It's got to be exhaustion or something of the sort because she's been feeling like this since yesterday.

Worries aside, she moves her mouse and goes about checking her e-mail and spots one from Bradley. The message is short, making her smile because it's a friendly reminder that he's picking her up tomorrow afternoon around two for another outing. And once again, he refuses to divulge where exactly they're going which makes Charlotte laugh, because she's been trying to weasel it out of him this whole week.

She looks up from her computer, a sudden bout of nausea coming again and she reaches for the nearest trash can and it isn't long before she's staring at remnants of the chicken salad she had for lunch. Leaning back in her chair, she closes her eyes hopes this isn't some sort of prelude to her getting sick because it's the last thing she needs right now, not when she's been looking forward to the weekend and spending some of it with Bradley.

Charlotte doesn't think twice about heading home early and after letting her colleague know she's decided on getting a head start on the weekend, she's out the door and in her car. Not long after that, she's home, wearing something comfortable and lying in bed, thinking a nap will do her some good.

The next time Charlotte's eyes open, it's when the sun decides to assault her with its brightness and she's wondering what the hell time it is. Checking the clock, she realizes it's nine in the morning and no longer yesterday. A knock at the door forces her to get out of bed, slowly padding down the hall and opening the front door to come face to face with her mother.

"Oh darlin' you look like you just rolled out of bed lookin' like somethin' the cat dragged in," Augusta says, entering with a fresh pitcher of sweet tea in her hands. She places it on the counter and walks back toward Charlotte, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Hmm, you don't seem warm. You feelin' okay, baby girl?"

Charlotte winces, heads into the kitchen and grabs a glass. She pours herself some sweet tea. "I'm okay. Just haven't been feelin' like myself lately."

"Have you been eatin'? I know how you get when you're busy. You forget to eat."

"Yes, I've been eatin' Momma. Like I said, I just haven't been feelin' myself. I s'pose it's me needin' a few extra hours of sleep, that's all." Charlotte opens the refrigerator door, looking to find something to eat. There's half a loaf of bread, cheese, eggs, some leftover pasta and fried chicken. She feels her stomach turn a little. None of those items seem very appetizing at the moment. Well, maybe the bread, toasted.

"Why don't you freshen up then come on over to the house. I'll have Rose cook you an omelet," Augusta suggests. "I know there's a fresh batch of biscuits with your name on them, too."

An omelet. It sounds appetizing, but the thought of it only makes Charlotte's stomach turn a little more. "No thanks," she replies, carefully sipping her tea. "I think I'll be fine with some toast. I'm not feelin' that hungry, Momma."

"Are you sure?"

Charlotte opens the fridge door again and takes out the bread. "Yes, I am," she says, placing two pieces into the toaster. "I'm really not in the mood for somethin' heavy anyway."

Augusta shrugs, gets up and heads toward the door. "Alright. I'll leave you be for now. But if you'd like, come on over to the house later in the day. Will you be joinin' your brothers and me for dinner tonight?"

"No, I don't think so. I've got plans for the afternoon and they'll probably stretch into the evenin'," Charlotte replies, spying her toast that's just popped out. She carefully grabs both pieces and drops them on a plate. She takes a second to contemplate whether she wants some butter or maybe some jelly, but decides against it. Just plain toast is fine and she's hoping it'll settle her stomach a bit.

"Well, I hope you're feelin' up for whatever you're gonna be doin' by then."

"I should. Thanks Momma," Charlotte says. It surprises her a little, the concern from her mother since it's not something she's ever heard before. She's still standing at the counter and watches the door close behind the older woman. But she's grateful her mother didn't ask who she was going out with, because that's just another can of worms she wants to avoid opening altogether. The last thing she needs is her mother meddling in her social life.

Thinking her stomach's settled a bit and she hasn't had a bout of nausea yet, she walks down the hall and into the bathroom. A shower sounds good right about now.

Like clockwork, Bradley swings by at two and by then Charlotte's feeling much better. While she's still having those moments of queasiness, for the most part they're few and far between now and the exhausted feeling is disappearing too. Of course, it also helps she's spending the afternoon doing something to take her mind off of it and who better than with Bradley.

The hour long drive seems familiar to Charlotte and as Bradley makes a turn, she realizes they're at Little River again. Out of the corner of his eye, Bradley spots the look on her face and smirks. He's proud of himself, make no mistake about it. Then again, he's wanted to take Charlotte riding ever since he noticed how she was spying the trails the last time they were here.

As they're pulling into the lot, he spots his friend waiting for them at the far end. Charlotte gasps, which doesn't go unnoticed by Bradley and he starts laughing.

"You didn't," she says, clearly dumbfounded. Either this man has nothing better to do or he's really after her heart. She leans toward the latter and turns to him when the car stops, unable to hide the smile on her face. "You didn't have to do this."

"And what if I wanted to?" Bradley winks, takes the keys out of the ignition and opens his door. "Come on, your ride awaits."

Charlotte gets out of the car and follows Bradley to where another man is standing with two horses. Bradley's speaking with him and she assumes they're friends, judging by the light banter between she's hearing as she approaches them.

"Let me guess, this lucky lady's your girlfriend."

Bradley shakes his head, laughing. "No, she's not, Jim. Charlotte's just a friend." As he's saying those words, it doesn't stop him from thinking otherwise, wishing she was more than just a friend.

Jim holds out his hand. "Well, then my apologies for makin' the assumption. Jim Bauer."

"Charlotte King," she says, shaking Jim's hand. "Pretty lookin' one here. What's her name?"

"Her name's Cupid," Jim then motions to the other horse. "And that one there is Jack."

Charlotte chuckles. "You're kiddin'. Cupid's really her name?"

"Yup, named by my momma," Jim nods. Charlotte's still not buying it. He turns to Bradley. "They're yours for the afternoon. Bring 'em back whenever you're ready. No hurry."

"Thanks Jim. I owe ya one," Bradley smiles, turning to Charlotte. "So, who do you want? Cupid or Jack?"

"Doesn't matter to me," Charlotte shrugs. She's still in disbelief, amusing Bradley to no end.

"Okay, I'll ride Jack. You can have Cupid," he walks up behind her, holds out his hand. "Here, let me help you."

Charlotte waves off his assistance. She hasn't ridden a horse in a while, but still remembers how to get on one and doesn't need any help. "I'm good," she says, getting up onto Cupid and settling on the saddle. The familiar feeling causes her to smile. It surely has been a while.

Bradley's on Jack and he's looking at her, wondering if she's ready to go. She nods and he leads the way into the Backcountry. Charlotte follows close behind, relishing this wonderful feeling of being on a horse again. She can't remember the last time she's gone riding but this moment, right here right now, it's the highlight of her week even if she isn't feeling a hundred percent.

They ride through DeSoto Park for the next hour, enjoying the scenery while sharing a back and forth conversation about which coast is the better one to live on. Bradley spots an open area for them to stop at, giving the horses an opportunity to rest and the two of them a chance to continue their debate while having a snack.

With Cupid and Jack secured to a tree, Bradley and Charlotte are sitting on a picnic blanket not too far away. He pulls out of his backpack two sandwiches and a thermos.

"Never hurts to be prepared," he hands her a sandwich, then pours some tea out of the thermos into a cup.

Charlotte shakes her head. She's starting to think this is all too good to be true and is wondering if he's been talking to Reese lately. She recalls mentioning to her in passing how she'd love to go riding again, now that she's back home. Then again, maybe he hasn't and this is just something that was planned all along.

She notices he's looking at her funny, causing her brow to furrow. "What?"

"Nothin', just um… some lettuce," he brushes the corner of his mouth before finally bringing his hand to her face, thumb wiping it away. His hand lingers and he's looking right into her eyes. "There, it's gone."

Charlotte swallows, unable to break her gaze. "Alright. You can stop starin' now."

"What if I don't want to? What if it's because I want to do this," he leans in, presses his lips to hers and slowly pulls away after a few seconds. Charlotte stares back at him, wordless expression and all, leaving him to wonder whether this is good or bad. He shifts back a little, bringing a hand to his nape. "Did I cross a line? 'Cause if I did, I'm really, really-"

Charlotte presses her index finger to his lips, tilts her head and smiles at him. "No, you didn't. So don't apologize."

Bradley takes her hand, kisses it and gives her a smile back. "There's been somethin' on my mind. Actually, someone. You."

"Oh?" Charlotte can't say she's surprised. Truth is, he's been on her mind too.

"And I was wonderin', if you see this goin' anywhere, I mean us," he questions. It's something he's been thinking about since the night Reese called. There's a feeling of sudden nervousness in the pit of his stomach as he sits there, waiting for Charlotte to say something. The longer she doesn't say something, the more he thinks the feeling isn't mutual or worse, she just isn't interested in taking things further.

It's an understandable assumption and he's ready to apologize again for asking when she smiles at him. "I don't know where I see this goin'. You're a good guy, Brad and definitely not like anyone I've ever dated before. It's just…"

"I know, you don't want to jump into a relationship."

"No, it's not that… if there's anythin' my last relationship taught me, it's that they're worth it, takin' a risk, fallin' in love. But…"

Bradley nods, finishing the sentence for her. "You don't want to get hurt again. I get that. Heck, I know the feelin' all too well." He reaches for her hand, laces his fingers with hers. "But you gotta admit, we've got a good thing goin' here and I love spendin' time with you."

"The feelin' is mutual," Charlotte sighs deeply, looks away for a moment before bringing her gaze back to him. She feels her heart race a little, something that hasn't happened in a while and she just wants to lean over and kiss him, but fights the temptation. There is one thing she can rightfully admit. Cooper's never made her feel the way she's feeling right now with Bradley.

And it's probably the reason why she finally gives in. "We do have somethin' good goin'. It'd be a shame not to see where it goes." He smiles at her, ready to pull her close when she holds up a hand. "One condition."

"Sure."

"No pressure and we go at whatever pace we're comfortable at." She smiles, then winces a bit, feeling her stomach turn a little. That familiar queasiness is back and the look on her face doesn't go unnoticed by Bradley. "I'm fine."

"You don't look it," he says, concern in his voice.

"I'm fine, really I'm-" she quickly gets up, runs to the nearest tree and up comes the sandwich she just ate. Bradley's next to her, rubbing his hand on her back and suspects something in the sandwich made her stomach upset. After a minute, she's standing upright, not looking any better than a few minutes ago.

"Maybe we should head back, call it a day," Bradley suggests. He folds up the blanket and stuffs it into his backpack. Looping an arm around Charlotte, they walk toward Cupid and Jack. "You think you'll be okay ridin'?"

"Yeah, I will," Charlotte assures, even cracks a slight smile too so he doesn't have to worry. "Guess the sandwich didn't sit too well with me. I'm okay."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," she nudges him toward Jack. "Now let's go. These horses are startin' to look restless."

Bradley laughs and steps closer to Charlotte. "Wait," he leans in, gives her a quick peck on the lips. "Alright, now we can go."

Charlotte rolls her eyes, shakes her head and climbs onto Cupid. As they're riding back, she wonders to herself if Bradley purposely picked out the horse, thinking there'd be romance in the air today.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The drive back to town is a quiet one, partly because Charlotte's sound asleep and Bradley doesn't want to turn on the radio, completely content with the silence. He glances at her every now and then, out of worry and simply because he can't help himself.

As they're nearing the Monroeville limits, Charlotte begins to stir, opens her eyes and slowly sits up. Bradley looks out of the corner of his eye and smiles. "Hey, ya have a good nap?"

"Yeah," Charlotte yawns, not fully awake yet. "And a lil' hungry too."

"I can take care of that. There's a diner at the next exit. We can have an early dinner, if you don't mind," he says, checking the mirror before switching lanes. "Or, we could go somewhere else, if you're not in the mood for diner fare. Maybe some chicken and ribs?"

"Ugh, no," she's shaking her head. Chicken and ribs do not sound very appetizing right now and frankly, she already knows it's not going to stay down. "I'm fine with stopping at a diner. I'll have some soup."

Bradley turns onto the exit ramp and the diner is not far off. He pulls into the lot and luckily, the place isn't busy, which means there won't be a long wait for their food. Obviously, the sandwich from earlier wasn't enough to sustain him for a good portion of the day. He could use a good meal right now and hopes Charlotte's feeling the same way.

He orders a small salad and a plate of chicken fingers with fries, while Charlotte ends up getting a bowl of soup. This, of course doesn't satisfy him and he spends most of dinner offering her some of his food, but she politely declines, saying the soup is enough for her. But to reassure him, she does have some of his salad.

As they're driving through town, Charlotte notices Bradley's heading away from where he's supposed to be going. "Hey, you missed the turn."

"I know. I was thinkin' you come over to my place for the evenin'. We can sit back, watch a movie or somethin'," he suggests, hoping the grin on his face doesn't give anything away.

Charlotte hesitates, thinking it's better to head home and fight off whatever bug has her stomach in knots over the past few days, but she spies the look on his face and goes along with the idea of spending the evening with him. She has nothing else to do and perhaps being with him will cure what's ailing her.

"Alright, but I get to pick the movie."

"Deal."

Fifteen minutes later, Charlotte's standing in Bradley's living room. Turns out, spending the evening with him is a good idea since it looks like the skies are about to open up and rain.

She's holding a DVD in her hand, wondering what's taking Bradley so long. Popcorn shouldn't take more than five minutes to pop and she's ready to head over to the kitchen when he comes through the door and stops her.

"Sorry I took so long. I just needed to make sure everything was perfect," Bradley's stretching his hand out for Charlotte to take. "Come with me."

"But what about the movie?" she asks and he's taking the DVD out of her hands, dropping it on the couch.

"We'll get to that in a bit. There's somethin' I want to show you out back," he leads her through the dining room, towards the back of the house. He's about to open the door and he turns, "Close your eyes."

"What?" Charlotte's brow goes up.

"You heard me, close your eyes," he smiles. "Come on, just humor me."

"Fine," she closes her eyes and he's still holding her hand. She hears the door opening. "Bradley, this better be good."

He carefully leads her onto the deck, cautioning her around the table and chairs. They stop in the middle of the deck and Charlotte's becoming a little impatient.

"Okay, you can open them now," he whispers from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist. "This good enough for you?"

Charlotte doesn't know what to say, her only reaction is utter and complete awe. She looks around and sees the hanging lanterns and scattered on the deck are white and red rose petals. How he was able to find the time to put this together is beyond her. She surmises he had help and laughs, assuming Reese had a role in putting this together while they were out.

"Wow, I…" she's speechless, a rarity for her. While she's still trying to gather the words, music starts playing in the background. Good Lord, he sure has a way of getting to her heart. She turns around and smiles at him.

"You're lookin' a lil better than earlier," he says.

"I'm feelin' it. You really don't have to do all this, you know. I already told you I'm willin' to see where things go with us."

"I know. But I want to." Bradley takes her hand, brings it to his lips and kisses it. "May I have the pleasure of a dance?"

Charlotte accepts and he pulls her close, closing the gap between them. They're moving slowly to the music as though they've been dancing together for their whole lives. Bradley's searching Charlotte's face for some kind of reaction or emotion. All he sees is awe and it's got him smiling. Leaning down, he whispers into her ear, "I take it you like?"

"I love it," she says tenderly. "You are an amazing man, if I haven't said that already." She rests her head against his shoulder and sighs softly. The music is playing and she wants to stay in this moment forever. She wants to stay wrapped in Bradley's arms, a man who's willing to take things slow in this budding relationship.

As they continue to dance, raindrops begin to fall. This doesn't stop them from dancing, instead it only makes this moment much sweeter. Despite the steady rainfall, Bradley still has his arms wrapped around Charlotte while the music continues to play.

"I really don't know what to say to all of this, Brad."

"You don't have to say anything. Jus' my way of showin' how I feel about you."

Bradley pulls back slightly and looks into Charlotte's eyes. Brushing back drenched blonde locks, he tilts his head and captures her lips with his own. When he pulls away, she's smiling at him and he kisses her again, delicate raindrops cascading down their faces as they stand there.

"You're beautiful, if I haven't said that already," he says softly, holding her close. Charlotte's resting her head on his shoulder and he's reveling in the warmth radiating from her body. As the music fades, he's leading her back into the house and up the stairs to the bedroom.

Gently shutting the door behind them, Charlotte lets Bradley guide her to the middle of the room and he wraps his arms around her. He's showering kisses along her neck, his breath causing her skin to tingle. Their lips finally meet in a deep, sensual way and when they part, he's cupping her face, looking into her eyes.

"Stay with me tonight," he whispers, forehead pressed against hers. "I want to make love to you and hold you in my arms until the sun rises."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Charlotte wakes the next morning, feeling the warmth of Bradley's body against her. She slowly opens her eyes and a smile curls at the corners of her lips as she remembers the night before. Perfect and memorable are the only words coming to mind right now as she lays there in his arms. It's been a while since she's felt like this and she doesn't want this moment to end.

Too bad it does, and it's much sooner than she anticipates.

She's suddenly queasy, feeling like her stomach is about to turn itself inside out. She quickly pushes off the sheet and grabs Bradley's shirt, slipping it on while rushing to the bathroom. Shutting the door behind her, she beelines for the toilet and proceeds to hurl what looks like last night's dinner. Fifteen minutes later, she's leaning against the tub with a cold washcloth pressed against her forehead.

"Charlotte?" Bradley opens the bathroom door and spots her on the floor. He quickly moves toward her and kneels down. Taking the washcloth, he wipes her face. "Hey, you don't look so good."

"I'm fine, just feelin' a little queasy, that's all," she reassures him, attempting to get up. Another wave of nausea hits her and she's leaning over the toilet again with Bradley holding her hair back.

After puking what's left of last night's dinner and then some, Charlotte is back in Bradley's bedroom lying on his bed. She's feeling much better now and well enough to head home and spend the rest of the day by herself in her own bedroom, but Bradley insists she stay and he'll take care of her.

She fights him on this before they come to a compromise, agreeing to stay for the day and he'll drive her home in the evening.

The bedroom door slowly opens and Bradley enters, carrying a tray with a cup of tea and some dry toast. Charlotte sits up as he places the tray down in front of her.

"This should help," he says, pointing to the plate of toast. "The tea is decaffeinated. It should soothe your stomach a bit. Eat up." He breaks off a piece of toast and hands it to her.

Charlotte smiles. She could really get used to this, being cared for. She can't remember the last time anyone did this for her. Now that she thinks about it, the reason she can't remember is because she's been taking care of herself for the past several years. Swallowing some toast, she looks at him, still smiling. "Thank you," she says, sipping the tea. "I'm sorry if I worried you before."

"You did," he's looking at her with concern. He reaches out with his hand, cupping her cheek. "When I woke up alone in bed then found you sitting on my bathroom floor lookin' like a mess, you can bet I was worried."

"Sorry."

"Hey now, no apologies. I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Yeah, I am," Charlotte nods. She chews on another piece of toast and swallows. "I'm feelin' much better than earlier."

"Are you sure?" Bradley asks. Even though she insists she's fine, he can't help but worry. "Why don't you sit tight and I'll make some soup for lunch. Toast isn't gonna keep you sustained for the day.

"I know you care, but like I said, I'm feelin fine now," she says convincingly, but it still doesn't do much to wipe away the skepticism on Bradley's face. She closes the gap between them, leaning forward and pressing her lips to his. "If you don't mind, I'm gonna take a shower."

Bradley sighs, runs a hand through his hair and gets up. "Alright. When you're done, come downstairs to the kitchen. I should have lunch ready by then."

"Will do," she moves off the bed and heads toward the bathroom. "And quit your worryin', I'm fine," she hollers before closing the door.

They spend the afternoon on the couch, Bradley keeping a watchful eye over Charlotte, despite her telling him how overbearing and annoying it is. After two movies and a light dinner, he drives her home but not before getting her to promise she'd call in the morning to let him know how she's feeling.

The next day isn't any better than the day before, Charlotte finding it impossible to keep breakfast down. Lunch isn't much of a success either because she upchucks that the minute she gets a whiff of the Parmesan cheese on her colleague's baked ziti.

She manages to get through the day despite the exhaustion which she now thinks is PMS because her boobs are tender and the mood swings are fierce. When her last patient leaves, she doesn't waste any time packing her things and heading home, wanting nothing more than having something for dinner that won't upset her stomach, then crawling into bed.

It's the middle of the evening when the doorbell rings and Charlotte forces herself up off the couch. She doesn't bother asking who's at the door and opens it, letting Reese in.

"You don't look so good," Reese says, sitting in the chair adjacent to the couch. She eyes Charlotte suspiciously and leans over. "You don't feel warm."

"Gee, thanks and here I thought I was the doctor," Charlotte retorts.

"Just my opinion," Reese smirks. Charlotte slowly sits up, wraps her arms around a pillow. She looks at her with concern, perhaps Charlotte's sick after all. "But in all seriousness, you do look like crap."

"Been feelin' like it, on and off over the past few days. Today was just bad. Nothin' I ate stayed down. Also doesn't help I'm exhausted, my boobs hurt and it feels like I'm draggin' myself through the day," she sighs tiredly. "Probably just PMS. This month seems ten times worse though."

Reese sits, mentally jotting down Charlotte's symptoms. Sure, she doesn't have a fancy medical degree, but the signs are there and she suspects Charlotte hasn't figured it all out yet. Silly doctors, always able to diagnose everyone else but themselves.

"Doesn't sound like PMS to me. Charlotte, you're pregnant," Reese says. She receives a disapproving look back and laughs. "Come on, the symptoms are all there. When was your last period?"

Charlotte takes a moment, thinks to herself and it dawns on her that she's missed her last cycle. She buries her face into the pillow, shakes her head. "No, this cannot be happenin'. No, no, no."

Reese moves onto the couch, settles next to Charlotte and rubs her back consolingly. "Oh sweetie, why didn't you tell me you and Brad were already hittin' the sheets. And if I may add," chuckling under her breath, "your body works fast if you're already carryin' the man's baby."

Charlotte glares at Reese. "It's Cooper's."

"Oh… are you sure?"

"Bradley and I slept together for the first time two nights ago. I highly doubt one of his boys is responsible. On top of that, I've been feelin' like crap most of last week, pukin' my breakfast and random other meals."

"Then I guess it is Cooper's," Reese replies. "Well, shit."

"You got that right," Charlotte retorts.

Reese sits there, unsure of what to do or say. Finding out you're pregnant is supposed to be happy news, but there isn't an ounce of happiness on Charlotte's face. So she says the first and only thing that comes to mind.

"Have you pee'd on one of those sticks yet?"

"Nope. Being knocked up didn't even enter my mind until now."

"Well, you're a doctor. Aren't you supposed to know these things?"

"Reese…" Charlotte drawls, exhaling a frustrated sigh. "Just when it finally feels like I'm beginning to move on from Cooper, this happens."

"Hold on, you haven't taken a pregnancy test yet and you'd still need to get confirmation from another doctor," Reese gets up, grabs her purse and heads to the door. "You sit tight. I'm gonna run out to the store and get one of those tests…make it two, just for good measure. Then we can find out for sure if you're carryin' your ex-honey's baby."

Charlotte watches the door close behind Reese and sits there, shaking her head. She's supposed to be moving on, happy and Cooper-free. And with Bradley in her life now, it's looking that way.

Until now. Why does life have to be so damn complicated all the time?

Reese returns an hour later, toting a white paper bag in her hands. Charlotte's giving her a confused look. "What? I had to drive outside of town to get the tests," she explains. "I wasn't about to head to the drug store ten minutes away and have everyone wonderin' why I was buyin' these. You know how people talk."

"Makes sense," Charlotte gets up from the couch, takes the boxes from Reese and walks toward the bathroom. "No use in waitin' any longer."

Ten minutes later, they're leaning against the sink. Charlotte's tapping her fingers nervously, trying to keep herself together after seeing how the first test came out positive.

Time's up, Reese reaches for the stick and Charlotte already knows the result from the look on her face.

Positive.

She walks out of the bathroom, heads right back to the couch and slowly sits down. Only thing left to do is getting a confirmation from another doctor.

She looks up at Reese and mutters, "Well, shit."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Charlotte holds the ultrasound photo in her hands and stares at it. She still can't believe it. Seven weeks, according to the OB she saw earlier this morning. She sets the photo down, presses her hand lightly to her stomach.

"Pregnant," she murmurs softly.

A knock at the door startles her and she turns around, Reese coming inside. "Well?"

"Seven weeks, give or take a few days," Charlotte holds up the ultrasound photo and hands it to Reese.

"Wow," Reese says. "This means, you were already knocked up when you came back to town."

"Most likely," she sighs.

"I know it really isn't my place to ask, but you're keeping the baby, right?"

Charlotte chews on her lower lip and nods. "Of course, I am. This is a life we're talkin' about and I don't have it in me to terminate," she brings her hand to her stomach. "And before you start askin' me about raisin' this kid, I'll manage by myself. I've got enough family around here to lend a hand."

"And Bradley, you've got him," Reese adds. "Speakin' of, you tell him yet?"

"No," Charlotte shakes her head. Telling him didn't enter her mind until now and she has no idea how to. "I haven't thought about much between last night and my appointment this morning. I'm lucky to have kept breakfast down. As far as Bradley knows, he thinks I'm trying to kick some weird stomach virus."

"And what about the baby's daddy, when are you plannin' on calling Cooper?" Reese asks. She's well aware he's a touchy subject, but it's a question that needs to be asked. "I know you said things aren't the best between the two of you."

"I will," Charlotte sighs softly. Honestly, telling Cooper is the last thing on her mind right now. She's still trying to grasp the news herself. "Eventually. I just need some time to myself so I can process all of this, you know? Besides, it's not like I can pick up the phone, say hello like we're old friends and then tell him I'm havin' his baby. It's not that simple."

"Easier said than done, huh? I get that," Reese replies. "But you know you're gonna have to sometime. He's your baby's daddy. And if I were Cooper, I'd want to know. I'm not sayin' the two of you should get back together, but a father deserves to know he's got a kid."

Charlotte sinks in her chair. Reese has a point that she needs to tell Cooper. But the truth is she's just not ready to call, not after everything that's happened between them, all the hurtful words. She needs some time, maybe a few days. It's best to let this all sink in first, then find the best way to break the news to him. Yes, that's what she'll do.

"I know he does. But, the way things ended with him, it's just-" she hesitates, pushes away the twinge of hurt. "It was messy. Not the cry your heart out, leave it on the table kind, but more like I yelled, he yelled back and then I yelled some more. Reese, it's all sorts of complicated."

"All break ups are. You know, Charlotte, maybe it's time you tell me what happened. Now I know you like to keep things close to the vest, but if you spill on how things fell apart for you and Cooper, maybe it'll help me understand why he's such a touchy subject," Reese urges. Charlotte needs to open up, because this whole beating around the subject is getting old.

Charlotte sits, contemplates Reese's request and finally relents after a minute. "I don't want to go into all the details. There were a lot of hurtful words," she begins, spending the next hour filling her in on how things started, how it all fell apart and the sex in the bathroom at Maya's wedding. By the time she's done, her emotions are spent and she's feeling a little hungry, a good sign considering how this morning has been.

A half hour later, they're sitting in a booth at the corner diner, having lunch. Reese is munching on her salad while Charlotte is eating a turkey club, thinking a little protein will do her some good. She's sure it'll probably come back up sometime this afternoon, but she's hungry and wants something other than soup or toast.

Charlotte's taking a sip of water when she finally notices the way Reese is looking at her. "What?" she says, feeling a little unnerved.

"Nothing, it's just," Reese pauses. "Did he really call you that? A 'sex toy'?"

"Heartless. A sex toy he found on the internet. A trashy little girl who's trying to please her dead daddy," Charlotte clarifies. "Yeah, that's pretty much it."

"Jerk."

"Yeah."

"Now I get why you're not too keen on callin' him," Reese finishes her soda, and sets the glass down. "But I still would. You never know. Maybe he'll wise up and apologize for all the stuff he said."

Charlotte raises an eyebrow. "So he's only going to be nice to me because I'm pregnant with his kid? Please, that is the last thing I need happenin'. I don't want Cooper doin' that because he feels it's an obligation. "

"So you're goin' to punish the guy, by not tellin' him he's got a kid on the way" Reese counters. "Come on, Charlotte, that's just givin' him more reason to call you heartless. Denyin' him his own child."

"I never said I wasn't gonna call him," Charlotte looks down at the other half of her sandwich, but isn't feeling hungry anymore. "I need to think about what I'm gonna say and how I'm gonna say it without either of us gettin' into some big, loud discussion which will only lead to yelling."

"As long as you follow through and call."

"I will."

.:.:.

Bradley walks up the path, carrying a bouquet of orchids on one arm and a white paper bag in his other hand. He hasn't heard from Charlotte since Monday and that was just a simple text message. Since then, nothing. Not one response to the numerous text messages and voicemails he's left her. And frankly, this worries him.

He stops at her doorstep and shifts the orchids to his other arm. Taking a deep breath, he clears his throat and knocks lightly. He waits a few seconds before knocking again, then sees Charlotte peek through the curtain and the door opens. He's smiling at her, hoping she appreciates the surprise visit, but the forlorn look on her face says otherwise.

She steps aside without saying a word and he walks in, watches her shut the door. He sets the paper bag down on her coffee table and holds out the flowers. "These are obviously for you. I wasn't sure what you'd like, but when I saw these, I thought, why not?" he shrugs and Charlotte's standing there, still not saying anything.

He sets the flowers down on the table, rakes a hand through his hair. "Okay, I'm not gonna lie. I haven't heard from you since Monday and I wanted to come by and see how you were. You still feelin' sick?"

Charlotte shakes her head, walks around him and picks up the orchids. "No, just feelin' tired," she says, walking into the kitchen to take out a vase. She fills it with water and begins arranging the orchids in them. "These are um…pretty, thanks."

"Since we agreed to see where things would go, I thought I'd start off on the right foot," he replies as she's returning to the living room, placing the vase in the middle of her coffee table. She sits down on the couch and he joins her, lifting a small carton of soup out of the paper bag. "I wasn't sure if you had dinner yet, so I picked up somethin' for you. I figured I'd play it safe with soup since I wasn't sure how you're feelin'."

"Thanks," she murmurs, gives him an appreciative smile even though she already had dinner. The soup looks a little appetizing though and she's tempted to have some of it, but the faint feeling of nausea says otherwise. "I think I'll save it for tomorrow. I'll have it for lunch."

Bradley tilts his head, senses something isn't right. This isn't the same Charlotte he took riding last weekend. Not the same woman he danced with in the rain and made love to. She's too quiet, too reserved and it's definitely not like her.

"Hey, are you sure you're feelin' okay? You're mighty quiet tonight and haven't said much since I got here," he moves closer. Just as he's about to wrap his arm around her, she pulls away. Yeah, something's not right here. "Hey, what's wrong? You can tell me."

"Nothin'. Everything is fine," she tells him. It's the truth, somewhat. He looks back at her, completely unconvinced. "Really, Brad. I'm just tired. This week took a lot out of me."

Bradley reaches over and pushes a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "Is that why you've been ignorin' all my texts and voicemails? 'Cause you coulda just told me that. A simple text back and maybe I wouldn't be so worried."

"Well, I'm sorry I worried ya," Charlotte scowls. "Now can you stop hoverin'? You're like a fly zippin' around a bowl of fruit."

"Sorry, I didn't know carin' and being concerned about you was considered annoyin'," he retreats and she sighs, the expression on her face softening a bit. He can tell there's something bothering her, but she's not willing to open up about it. "You know, I seem to recall a time when you'd talk to me about the stuff that was weighin' down on your mind. And you still can."

Charlotte chews on her lower lip. He's right but this isn't high school or college anymore. She doesn't need his help solving her problems and frankly, she can take care of herself. "You're right, there's somethin' going on, but it's not your concern."

Bradley chuckles softly. "If we're goin' forward with this relationship, I'd say whatever ya got goin' on _is_ my concern."

"What did I tell you about me and talkin' about stuff? I don't do talkin'."

"I know, but it's obvious there's somethin' bothering ya and I just wanna know. Maybe I can help."

"Not sure you can," she mutters.

Bradley smiles. "Try me."

"Fine. You wanna know?" she pauses and he nods. "I'm pregnant."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Bradley blinks, scratches his head. This is unexpected. "Pregnant?"

"Did I stutter?" Charlotte scowls. She notices the grin forming on his face which doesn't make her feel any better. "What's with the smile?"

"Nothin' just that… I know I'm good, but I didn't know I was _that_ good," he says, like he's proud of himself for accomplishing something. Charlotte is not amused at this and his brow furrows. Pregnant women are supposed to be happy, or at least that's what he thinks.

"Not your kid," she mutters, only to see the joyous look on Bradley's face disappear instantly. "Sorry if I got your hopes up."

"No, it's my fault for assuming," he shrugs, seemingly not disappointed but still feeling it nonetheless. "So, it's your ex's huh?"

"Yeah, it's definitely his," she frowns.

"Are you sure?"

Charlotte gives him a look. "I highly doubt my reproductive system works that fast."

"Well, when did you find out?" he asks, just to be sure. It's not that he doesn't believe her, but he doesn't want to rule out the possibility.

"I had an OB confirm it on Tuesday morning," she pulls the ultrasound photo from under a magazine, and hands it to Bradley. "Seven weeks."

Bradley stares at it, spots the little blob off to the side. Yep, it's definitely not his. "So, I guess this means you're goin' back to LA."

"What makes you think that?" Charlotte asks, wondering why he's making that assumption.

"The baby's daddy, your ex-… he lives in LA, doesn't he? I figure, you'd wanna be near him, considerin' he might want to be a daddy to the kid," he says, running fingers through his hair. "I'd understand if you want to."

"I'm not goin' anywhere," Charlotte quickly replies and Bradley's face fills with relief. She cracks a smile, more as a reaction to the look on his face than the situation at hand. In a way, she's feeling relief also, because he knows. That's one less person she needs to tell. Still left on the list: her mother, her brothers and Cooper.

"You're not? But what about the baby's daddy?"

"What about him?"

"I'm not sure how this whole co-parenting thing is gonna work with you livin' here and him being all the way out there," Bradley says. It's a valid statement and he's wondering this himself. "Unless, you're not gonna tell him about this."

Charlotte's gaze falls. She still hasn't called Cooper yet and it's been a few days. "I do plan on tellin' him. I just needed some time to myself."

"Is that why you've been avoidin' me? You afraid to tell me what's going on?" he smiles at her, reaches over and places his hand on top of hers. "You can tell me anything, you know. And I'd much rather be helpin' you deal with this instead of you havin' to take this on by yourself."

Charlotte pulls her hand away and huffs. "Please, like I need man to help me. I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

"I was just sayin'-"

"Yeah, I know what you were sayin' and I'm telling you, I don't need your sympathy or your helping hand," she gets up, walks to the door and opens it. "In fact, you need to go."

A slight pained expression forms on Bradley's face. "What?"

"I said you need to go. So go," she stands there, waits for him to get up. "Bradley, please. Just leave."

He wants to fight her on this, tell her he's not going anywhere, but the look on her face says he's better off leaving. He finally gets up, grabs his car keys and walks toward her, presses a kiss to her forehead and says, "You need anything, you call."

Charlotte nods and he's walking out the door. She stands there for a moment, watching him walk up the path before a wave of nausea hits her and she slams the door shut, rushing to the bathroom.

.:.:.

Duke heads down the path toward the gatehouse carrying a fresh pitcher of sweet tea. He's grumbling to himself, wondering why Momma couldn't have taken this to Charlotte herself seeing as how he has a list of things to do on this sunny Saturday afternoon. He stops at her doorstep and knocks, checks his watch while he waits. He hopes Charlotte is home so she can take this pitcher from him and he can be on his way.

A minute passes and the door finally opens, Charlotte isn't looking too happy as he stands there. "Here," he holds out the pitcher. "Momma wanted me to bring this to you. So here, take it and I can be on my way."

"Thank you." It's all Charlotte says before shutting the door.

Duke's sensing something isn't right and puts up his hand, stopping the door. He enters, closing it behind him and runs his fingers through his hair. "What's wrong? You look sick."

"Nothin's wrong," Charlotte denies, putting the pitcher of tea inside the fridge. She walks back out into the living room. Duke's eyeing her up and down. "I thought you said you needed to be on your way."

"I know that look," he says, standing by the couch. "It's the same pissy one you always had whenever Billy did somethin' stupid. Did Bradley go and do somethin' stupid? 'Cause if he did, I'll go knock some sense into him."

Charlotte rolls her eyes and chuckles softly. "No, you don't have to. Besides, you're about a decade and a half late on being the brother that comes to my rescue. I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

"Fine, but I was just askin'," Duke replies. He's still standing there with a look of concern on his face. "But you still haven't answered my question. What's wrong? Are you okay? You look like you wanna puke."

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure, because you don't look fine. Honestly, you look like crap."

"Thank you for your observation, but as I told you, I'm fine. Now you need to go," Charlotte steps forward and starts guiding Duke to the door. She opens it and waits for him to step out. "Do you have cotton in your ears? I said you need to leave."

Duke raises an eyebrow. There's definitely something going on and Charlotte's not saying what it is. "No, I'm not leavin' until you tell me what's goin' on. Is Momma dyin' and she swore you to secrecy?" he's suddenly upset. "Is that the real reason why you came home? 'Cause if she is and you've been keepin' this from Landry and me… I swear, Charlie. I'll never forgive you."

"Oh will you quit your worryin'! Momma is not dyin'," Charlotte quickly puts her brother at ease.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Duke's shoulders relax a little. "Alright, if Momma's fine, then what's wrong? Are you pregnant or somethin'?" he asks jokingly and notices how she immediately looks away. He blinks, thinking it's a joke but when she doesn't say anything, he realizes it's true. "You are! You can't even look me in the eyes. You're knocked up! Bradley Nowak got you pregnant!"

"Why don't you say it a little louder, Duke. The folks in Montgomery couldn't hear what you just said," Charlotte glares at him, shutting the door.

"Sorry," he mutters. "So, you and Bradley?"

"Me and Bradley what?"

"You, Bradley and a baby," Duke smirks. He sits on the arm of the couch. "Does Momma know yet?" He gauges the look on her face. "I'll take that as a no."

"You better keep your trap shut," Charlotte says as her phone starts buzzing on the table. She takes a quick glance at the screen, ignores the text message that came through. "I'll tell her when I'm good and ready to."

Duke nods. "Well, at least she likes Bradley. So, you're already off to a good start."

Charlotte groans a little. "He's not the baby's daddy."

"What?"

"He's not."

"Oh, don't tell me it's that Cooper fella." Charlotte doesn't react, which means he is. "Quite an ex- you got, makin' sure you left town with a parting gift. You tell him yet?"

Charlotte shakes her head. "No."

"Are you gonna tell him?"

"I don't recall sayin' yes to playin' 20 questions," she says. "And didn't you say you had somewhere to be?"

Duke holds up his hands and stands up. He takes it as his cue to go. "Just askin'. Anyhow, I should get goin'. Momma gave me a shopping list of things she wanted me to pick up. Since I'm headed to the store, is there anythin' you need?"

"No, but thanks for asking," Charlotte replies, following him to the door. "I mean it, Duke. Don't you go tellin' anyone. Last thing I need is this whole town up in my business."

"I won't. You have my word," he assures her and begins walking up the path.

Charlotte watches her brother disappear into the distance before closing the door. She heads back to the couch, stares at her phone as she sits down. Picking it up, she flicks through her list of contacts, stopping when she finds the one she's looking for.

Cooper Freedman.

She positions her thumb above the SEND button, remaining that way for a good 15 seconds before exiting the screen. She sighs softly, making a promise to herself that she'll call and tell him the news sooner or later.

Instead, she flicks to another screen and reads the text message that's waiting for her.

It's a message from Bradley.

_Just wanted to see how you're doing. I worry about you._

Charlotte smiles a little. At least he's not pushing. She leans her head back and closes her eyes, looking to clear her head. Within minutes, she's sound asleep and enjoying an impromptu nap.

Too bad the enjoyment doesn't last and she's up again a half hour later, running to the bathroom for another round of hurling her guts out.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

The sun is out and Charlotte is sitting behind her desk, staring at her phone. It's more like she's staring at the entry on the screen and her finger is once again poised above the SEND button.

She knows this is a call that needs to be made and for the past week, she's been putting it off. While it's a convenient excuse to say her life has been busy, it still isn't a valid reason for her to avoid doing it.

A knock at the door interrupts her quiet thought and she sees Reese standing at the doorway. She motions for her to come inside, setting down her phone.

"Finally called him?" Reese asks as she sits.

Charlotte glances at her phone and sighs a little. Before she can say something, Reese is up again and walks around Charlotte's desk, grabbing her purse.

"Come on, we're goin' out. You need some fresh air and I need something to eat," she says, pulling Charlotte out of her chair. "You can tell me everything while we're having lunch."

Fifteen minutes later, they're sitting in a booth at a nearby diner. Reese is enjoying a BLT and fries, while Charlotte finishes the first half of a turkey club. Other than the stress of calling Cooper, (or not calling) it's an uneventful day and there's only two more patients she needs to see when she gets back to the office.

"So, how did Cooper take the news?" Reese asks. Charlotte's been a little too quiet and it worries her a little. "I'm assuming not well, considerin' how you haven't said much since I dragged you out of your office."

Charlotte puts her drink down, and wipes the corner of her mouth. "Can we not talk about Cooper?"

"Okay, let's talk about Brad. How are things going with him?"

"We're fine. He came over the other night and cooked dinner. We watched a movie."

"That was sweet of him. It's always nice to have a man cook for you," Reese smiles. She can only hope to find a man that will treat her as well as Bradley treats Charlotte. "I have to say, you've got yourself a keeper, Charlotte. Don't let this man get away."

Charlotte nods her head a little, a smile slowly easing the edges of her lips upward. "Yeah, I guess I can't. I mean, you'd figure me being pregnant with Cooper's baby, would give him enough reason to walk away, and not want to get himself into this mess. But he doesn't want to walk away. He wants to help. What kind of man does that?"

"A man that's clearly head over heels smitten for you," Reese replies, laughing a little at how Charlotte hasn't realized it yet.

"Well, smitten or not, I still find it hard to believe he's willing go ahead with this relationship."

Reese shakes her head in amusement. "Charlotte, why is it so hard for you to let your guard down? Just this one time, can you not be stubborn and accept that you've got a man, a genuine one, who wants to take care of you," she reasons, knowing whatever she says will get through the other woman's head, somehow. "I get that you're independent and you can take care of yourself. I applaud you for that. But sometimes, you need to let someone else in, someone like Bradley who really cares about you, and let him help."

Charlotte sits quietly, chewing on her sandwich and letting Reese's words sink in. If this were any other person saying this to her, she would have countered with some snippy remark, but she can't with Reese. This is her best friend talking and she does have a point. And when your best friend says something like this, perhaps it's a good idea to take those words to heart and listen.

"Go ahead. I can see the wheels turning in your head and how you're trying to think of some smartass comeback," Reese chuckles. She finishes her sandwich and waits.

"You're right."

"I'm sorry? Can you repeat that?"

"I said, you're right," Charlotte rolls her eyes. "And as much as I hate admitting you are, I guess it's time I let my guard down a little," she eyes the grin on Reese's face. "Alright, don't let it get to your head."

"I'm sorry," Reese says, even though she really isn't. "But it feels good to know I got my point across."

"Well, you did. I guess I'm tired of gettin' my heart broken," Charlotte sighs softly, dropping her napkin onto the empty plate. "Billy left me wrecked and Cooper… what he said hurt a lot. But with Bradley, it's different and sometimes, I feel like it's too good to be true."

"What's too good to be true?"

"Bradley and the way he is with me. It's like he's too perfect."

"That's not perfection you're seeing. It's called class. Bradley knows how to treat a woman because he has class. And while I've never met Cooper and I'm only judging him on what you've told me, it seems her lacks a lot of that."

"Cooper is different."

"He called you a sex toy," Reese reminds, dropping her palm on the table a little too firmly. "Sorry. I'm just sayin', if the person I was in a relationship with ever called me that, there would be no goin' back. Hearing that is disrespectful and no man should be callin' my best friend that. You deserve someone who will treat you with respect."

Charlotte nods her understanding. "I know I do. I'm just afraid of this turnin' out to be another screwed up relationship. There's a lot more at stake here."

"And sometimes, you have to take a risk," Reese replies. "Let me guess, you and Brad haven't taken the time to talk about what's going on? Oh wait, I remember now, talkin' and sharin' your feelings isn't your thing."

"I'm talkin' to you now, aren't I?" Charlotte raises an eyebrow.

"This is different. I'm your best friend and you're not really talking. It's more like I'm pryin', Reese clarifies, and smirks.

Charlotte rolls her eyes, realizing Reese is right, again. "No, we haven't. We sort of just agreed to see where things go."

"Okay, that's a start. But I do think the both of you need to talk, mostly it's you that needs to share, communicate, let him know how you're feelin'," she advises. "You already know how he feels about you, and it sounds like he's not goin' anywhere. But you need to let Brad know what's goin' on inside your head. It'll do you a lot of good. He's a good man, Charlotte. You just need to let yourself trust him."

Charlotte takes the advice to heart, and checks her watch. "I should get back to the office. I have a patient comin' in a half hour."

Reese pulls out her wallet and drops two bills on the table, enough to cover her meal and Charlotte's. "This one's on me," she says with a knowing smile. "You can treat me to dinner after you and Bradley have that talk."

"Deal," Charlotte smiles back, grabs her purse and walks with Reese out of the diner.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Charlotte struggles with her umbrella as she walks down the path toward the Gatehouse. Another gust of wind blows and it turns inside out, which only aggravates her even more after the horrible day she's had.

Giving up on the umbrella, she tosses it aside as she reaches the door and shoves her key into the lock. She trudges inside, dropping her wet purse on the chair. Her hair is still dripping so she heads to the bathroom to grab a towel, drying off before going into the bedroom for a change of clothes.

A knock at the door has her coming out of the bedroom as soon as she's done changing. Not bothering to ask who it is, she opens the door and steps aside so Bradley can enter, carrying the dead umbrella in his hand.

He kisses Charlotte's forehead and pulls back, noticing the tired look on her face. "Long day?" he asks and she walks away without replying. After shutting the door, he follows her into the kitchen and discreetly tosses the umbrella in the trash. He can't help but notice how frustrated she looks as she searches for something in the kitchen.

Charlotte turns around a little too quickly and stubs her toe on the corner of the island. "Ow! Damnit!" she exclaims loudly. "This is the last thing I need."

"Hey now," Bradley says, rushing to her side. He wraps his arms around her waist from behind, despite her immediate resistance to the embrace. "Are you okay? What's wrong? What's got you all bent out of shape?"

"It's nothin'. I'm fine," Charlotte shakes her head. She feels the tears building in her eyes and quickly wipes them away before they have a chance to fall. This is the third time today she's crying and these mood swings are doing a number on her. "Damn hormones!"

Bradley refuses to let go of her, but has no idea how to reply. "Charlotte, tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothin'."

"No. I can tell somethin's bothering you. Come on now, you can talk to me," he turns her around, swipes away strands of blonde hair from her face. "Tell me," he says gently.

"I said it's nothin'," Charlotte wriggles out of Bradley's arms and walks out of the kitchen.

He rolls his eyes, shakes his head and follows her into the living room. Here we go again. He knows this is another mood swing and soon enough, he'll get her to crack. _Patience _is what he tells himself and he's got lots of it. The last four weeks are proof of that, having to deal with her going from one extreme to another, along with convincing her that she doesn't have to do everything on her own.

While he accepts her being an independent woman, it's her stubbornness that drives him crazy sometimes.

He flops down next to her on the sofa, pushes her chin up with his finger. "Talk to me."

Charlotte finally relents after a minute, just so he can stop his pestering. "Fine, you want to know what's wrong?" she leans forward and reaches for her purse. It takes her a moment to find what she's looking for. She pulls out a small slip of paper and hands it to him. "There, that's what's wrong."

Bradley looks at the slip of paper and realizes it's an ultrasound photo. Smiling, he asks, "Is this the little peanut? Wow, it is," he looks up at her. "Wait, is something wrong? Is that why you're upset?"

"No, the baby is fine," Charlotte shakes her head. She takes the ultrasound photo from him and stares at it, sighing softy.

"So what's got you all teary eyed?"

"It's silly. You don't need to know."

"I don't care. Just tell me."

Charlotte sits for a minute, biting down on her lower lip. "It's been a bad day. Going to my check-up and havin' the ultrasound topped it all off."

"And you're upset because you saw your baby? I thought ultrasounds were supposed to be happy moments," Bradley reaches for the photo, stares at it again. "I'm not gonna stop until you tell me what's got you all twisted in a knot. Aren't you happy to see your little peanut growin' healthy inside ya?"

"I am happy. It's just…" she stops, bites the inside of her cheek, feeling a little embarrassed she's saying this out loud. She doesn't do talking or sharing. She's not the type. But she remembers what Reese told her weeks ago about it being time to let someone else in on what's she's thinking and feeling. So she heeds her friend's advice. "It kinda hit me, how I had no one else sharin' the moment with me. It was the first time I actually felt alone. And that feeling never bothers me, but for some reason, this time it did. "

"Charlotte, that's not silly. You should've told me," Bradley tilts his head a little, smiles and takes her hand. "If I'd known you had an appointment today, I would've been there. Do I have to keep repeating myself? I want to be a part of this with you," he takes her hands, threading his fingers with hers. "I'm not going anywhere, so you need to start tellin' me these things if we're goin' to make this relationship work. I know we talked 'bout this already, about you bein' a little more open."

"Old habits die hard."

"Or you're just lucky I'm a very patient man."

"Yes, I am," she smiles. Her facial expression changes a second later, as she looking at him with a raised brow. "You really want to be a part of this? Like go to doctor's appointments with me, find out what's goin' on with the baby and all."

Bradley nods. "Yes. For the umpteenth time, yes."

"And deal with my mood swings and me being all crazy hormonal?"

"There's no other place I'd rather be."

"You're crazy."

"No, I'm just someone who really cares. And I don't like seeing you going at this…all upset and lonely."

Charlotte sits, thinks about this for a moment and replies, "Fine, but you've been warned. But I can take care of myself, just remindin' you."

Bradley rolls his eyes. Oh how he's heard that many times before. "Yes, I know. You can take care of yourself. You don't need my help. Blah, blah, blah…" he leans over, closes the gap between them. "Can we kiss now?"

"Now that, I can do," she laughs, meeting his lips.

Bradley glances at the clock, noticing it's a little past seven. He feels his stomach rumble a bit and wonders if Charlotte's feeling hungry. "Have you eaten yet? I haven't and I was thinkin' of throwing somethin' together for dinner dependin' on what you have in the kitchen."

"There's some chicken in the fridge and half of loaf of bread on the counter," Charlotte replies, stifling a yawn. "There's some salad too, if you want."

Bradley gets up and Charlotte's about to follow, but he stops her. "No, you sit and relax. I'll make the sandwiches."

"I'm a grown woman, Brad. I can make my own sandwich," Charlotte protests. She's right behind him, walking into the kitchen. As she reaches for the loaf of bread, Bradley gets to it first, holds it up high. "No. You will march your pretty lil' self back into the living room and park your behind on the sofa. I will make the sandwiches. You told me you had one hell of a day, so the least I can do is take care of you this evening. Now go," he says, motioning toward the living room. She chuckles under her breath and turns around. "Go on, keep walkin'."

It doesn't take him long to put together two sandwiches and he's back in the living room just as Charlotte finds something for them to watch on TV. He hands her the plate and a napkin. "Eat up. Lil' peanut is probably starvin'."

Charlotte takes a bite, chews and swallows. "You sound just like my momma. I swear, every time I'm up at the house, all she does is feed me."

"Well, she's got a grandbaby on the way, so I'm not surprised. She just wants to make sure you're takin' care of yourself."

"And I am."

"I know. But your momma's just bein' a momma."

"Yeah, she's like that now 'cause of the baby," Charlotte mutters. "But I will admit, she's gotten better since I told her the news."

Bradley nods, swallows what he's chewing. "Glad to hear that. Good to know your momma's workin' on cleaning up her act. Lord knows you don't need her bein' tipsy around the lil'one," he says, reaching for his glass of sweet tea and taking a sip. "It's the last thing you need."

"No kiddin'," Charlotte wipes her mouth. She drains the last of her drink and sits back, exhaling slowly.

"Full?" Bradley asks.

"Mmmhmm," she tips her head back while absently placing her hand on her belly. At twelve weeks, there's a slight bump. It's not too obvious, but it's only a matter of time until she starts showing. She tries to stifle another yawn, but isn't as successful this time around. "Guess I'm more tired than I thought."

"You look like it." He reaches across the sofa and pulls Charlotte into his arms, telling her to turn around. He brings his hands to her shoulders, a sigh escaping from her almost immediately as they slowly work out the tension from her muscles. "How's that?"

Charlotte closes her eyes, her breathing beginning to even out a little. "Feels great. It's just what I needed after this crap day." She's feeling more relaxed with each passing moment.

Bradley continues rubbing her shoulders and buries his nose in her hair, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo. "Tell you what. Why don't you go and draw yourself a nice bath while I do the dishes. How does that sound?" he says, but doesn't receive a reply. Shifting his body a little, he looks over Charlotte's shoulder and finds her sound asleep. "Well, I guess that's out of the question now."

Slowly, he eases himself off the couch, slips one of the pillows under Charlotte's head and quietly walks to the kitchen. After the dishes are done, he comes back into the living room and carefully scoops Charlotte into his arms. She stirs slightly, but remains asleep as he carries her into the bedroom and gently places her on the bed. Draping one of the blankets over her, he leans down, swiping away a lock of her blonde hair and kissing her cheek.

"Good night, Charlie," he whispers, then turns off the bedside lamp and leaves the room.

Grabbing one of the extra blankets from the closet, he takes it with him into the living room. He turns on the TV and stretches out on the sofa. Looks like the baseball game will be keeping him company tonight.


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N: **Merry Christmas readers!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20<strong>

"Slow down or else you'll trip!" Landry hollers as he heads down the path toward Charlotte's place. He picks up his stride a bit, obviously having some trouble keeping up with the hyperactive child running ahead of him. Finally catching up with the little girl, he takes her hand. "Emily, do I need to remind ya what your daddy and momma said?"

"No running because I might fall down," Emily replies as her pace slows to a walk. She looks up at the older man expectantly. "Where are we goin' again?"

"We're droppin' off some food for Charlotte, payin' her a visit while we're at it," Landry smiles down at her, ruffling her short blonde hair. "You remember Charlotte, don't ya?"

Emily looks up at Landry, shrugging. "Not really."

"Well, you can meet her again right now," he says as they approach the gatehouse. Landry watches the door open, sees Bradley coming out. Shaking his head, he stifles a smirk and makes the assumption that Bradley spent the night. As they're nearing the front door, he sees Bradley kiss Charlotte on the lips, giving her one last smile before turning around and coming face to face with him.

"Landry, good to see you," Bradley says, raking a hand through his hair. "Hope all is well."

"Could be better, but I'm good," Landry replies.

Bradley checks his watch, then looks to both of them, realizing this is somewhat of an awkward situation for some reason. "I should get goin'. Time for me to put in some extra hours at the office," he moves toward Charlotte, presses a kiss to her lips one more time and murmurs softly, "I'll call you later."

"You do that," Charlotte smiles. She stands at her doorstep watching Bradley walk away then turns her attention to her brother. "Let me guess, this is from Momma?"

"Who else? You're carryin' her grandbaby. You know she's gonna make sure you're eatin' well," Landry hands the container to Charlotte, following her inside. He leads Emily to the couch. "Now you sit still."

Charlotte laughs softly as she eyes the child on her couch. "Whose kid is that and how'd you get stuck babysittin'?"

Landry looks over his shoulder. "That's Jasper and Zoe's lil' girl, Emily. Momma needed a break, so she tagging along with me. Surprised you don't remember her. They were at Big Daddy's funeral."

"The whole town was at the funeral. I barely remember who I shook hands with," Charlotte replies. Her gaze is drawn toward the little girl, causing a smile to curl at her lips. "She's cute."

"Well, she does have her daddy's good looks, inheritin' those King genes," Landry grins.

Charlotte nods in agreement while silently hoping her baby looks more like her than Cooper. "Jasper's a fine lookin' fella."

"The same could be said for Bradley."

"Too bad he's not this baby's daddy.

Landry pulls out a chair and sits down. He looks at Charlotte, notices her gaze is still focused on Emily and wonders what she's thinking. "Bet you're a lil' sad about that. With the way he dotes on ya, he'd probably be a great daddy."

"Yeah, I guess," Charlotte shrugs. Truthfully, she hasn't thought much about Bradley as a potential daddy in her baby's life. Lately, she's been all about finding ways to cope with being pregnant and the food cravings she's been having.

Last night it was a Bacon Cheeseburger Toaster Sandwich with extra pickles and tots from Sonic and she had to beg Bradley to go out and get it for her because this craving came at 10 o'clock at night, when they were already in bed and he was practically half asleep.

As for this morning, the craving consisted of a cheddar cheese omelet with relish. Yes, her appetite has been voracious as of late, and she isn't embarrassed by it at all. In fact, she's grateful to be in her second trimester, eating again and not having any of it coming back up.

"So, how are things with you and Bradley?" Landry asks, even though he already knows the answer.

"Aren't you the nosy one?" Charlotte teases, realizing he may have witnessed the public display of affection earlier. "Things are… they're fine."

"Just fine?"

"Yeah, fine. What do you want? An exposition?"

"I was just askin'," Landry says defensively. "From the looks of things, I'm guessin' the both of you are happy. I know he's been spendin' a lot of time with you these days. You considerin' making him a part of your baby's life?"

Charlotte sits back in the chair, absently bringing her hands to her belly. She's 17 weeks into her pregnancy and she hasn't put much thought into what kind of role Bradley will end up having in her life. "To be honest, I don't know. We're just figuring it all out as we go along, I guess."

Landry digs his hands into his pockets as he settles in the chair. "But you like him, don't you?"

"We've been seeing each other for a lil' over two months, of course I like the man," Charlotte looks up at him, wondering why he's concerned all of a sudden. It's not like he's had interest in her personal life before. In fact, he never did, then again, this was when they were still teenagers and she despised having nosy younger brothers. Now that they're older, he does deserve to know a little more about her life, she supposes. "I'm happy, if that's what you really wanna know."

"That's good," Landry nods as he turns to look at Emily. "It's nice to see you finding some happiness. You deserve it and your baby does too." He continues to stare at Emily then glances at Charlotte's belly, noticing her hands are still resting there. "How does Bradley feel about all of this? This must be an awkward situation for him, being with you while you're pregnant with another man's baby."

"We talked 'bout it some and he wants to be a part of this, wants to be by my side for everythin', despite, you know," Charlotte replies, recalling the conversations she and Bradley have had. "Personally, I think he's crazy, but he's completely sincere about this. It's sweet."

"He is a Southern boy, after all," Landry reminds. "Not like that Cooper fella you were datin' before. Always felt there was somethin' not right 'bout him and that all he'd do was break your heart."

"Landry!"

"What? I'm just speakin' my mind. You can't fault a brother for carin' about his big sis."

Charlotte smiles at the concern. It's the first time in a while she's heard something like that from her brother. But he also doesn't know Cooper, so he really has no right in judging the man. "Well, it's good to know you care but you shouldn't go assumin' someone's gonna break my heart when you barely knew Cooper."

"Assumption or not, I didn't get a good vibe from him when he came for Big Daddy's funeral," Landry mutters. "Besides, I like Bradley better."

"You like him because he's from here and he's Southern."

"Perhaps, but I jus' think he's a better match for you. I can already tell he treats you well."

Charlotte tilts her head, raises an eyebrow. "You got all that from seein' us kiss on my doorstep?"

"Momma may have said some stuff too," he shrugs, laughing a little. "You do know how she's enjoyin' this, seeing you with Bradley. It's all she talks about these days. How he's always comin' around to take care of you, make sure you're okay, spendin' nights with you, 'cause she's spotted him leaving here some mornings."

"Oh lord. Just what I need, Momma bein' a busybody," Charlotte rolls her eyes and laughs.

Landry's laughing too, enjoying this light moment with her. It's been a while since they've talked like this and sitting here makes him feel good. He thinks they need to do this more often, because they are siblings after all. "So you really like Brad? Like you get all the flutterin' feelins in your heart and that kinda stuff?"

Charlotte doesn't reply right away, taking a moment to think about her answer. "Yeah, you could say that," she replies. "He's sweet, and I think what I like best about him is that he _knows _me, like really knows me."

"Well, he should. The two of you have been friends since high school. He's good for you Charlie," Landry reminds her. Truth is, he's hoping things with Bradley and Charlotte progress further. "He brings out a side of you I haven't seen in a while. A happy side."

"I think you're mistaking that with this so-called pregnancy glow Momma claims I've got," Charlotte retorts.

Landry shakes his head and grins. "Oh come on, Charlie. Admit it, you've fallen for Bradley. You have that same lovey-dovey look in your eyes like when you were with Billy."

"Please do not say that name ever again," Charlotte scowls. She sighs softly, taking Landry's words to heart. "I was a teenager and I didn't know any better. All Billy did was break my heart and send me down a dark road I don't want to experience again, ever. What I feel for Bradley and what he feels for me is completely different. The twinkle you see in my eyes, it's because I'm with a man who's willin' to be with me regardless of my messy life."

"Ah, so the both of you have talked about a future together."

"No, we haven't. We agreed to take things as they come and I'm fine with that."

"But the two of you are together, like boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Charlotte nods and hopes her answer will end this circular conversation. "Yes, we're together, like that," she laughs, realizing this is probably the first time she's saying it out loud. "You're not gonna hunt him down and read him the riot act now, are ya?"

"Nah," Landry shakes his head and reaches across the table. He squeezes Charlotte's arm. "I'm just happy for ya, Charlie. I hope things work out, because I think you and Bradley would make a wonderful family. You should let him be the baby's daddy. No one has to know the lil peanut isn't really his."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Charlotte says with a smile, turning her attention to Emily. "What are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"Not sure. Momma sort of just pawned her off on me," Landry checks his watch, looks back at Charlotte for ideas. "I was kinda hopin' you'd think of somethin'. I'm not good at this babysittin' thing."

"And you think I am? The closest I ever got to babysittin' was keepin' after you and Duke. That wasn't easy."

Landry laughs, smiles at her apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't know we were that bad."

"Not necessarily bad, just a handful," she grins, pushes her chair back and stands. "I'm in the mood for some ice cream. Why don't we take her for some and let her run around in the park."

"Sounds good," he agrees and gets up, makes his way over to the little girl. "Hey Emily, wanna go get some ice cream?"

Emily looks up at Landry with a toothless grin. "Can I have a strawberry sundae?"

"I don't see why not," Charlotte says, grabbing her purse off the table. She follows Landry and Emily out the door. "And after ice cream, we'll take you to the park, sound good?"

"Yeah," Emily nods, smiling as she takes both Charlotte and Landry's hands as they walk up the path.

By the time Charlotte returns home, it's the middle of the evening and she's feeling a bit exhausted from the afternoon. Of course, spending the last couple of hours chasing a five-year old around a park would take a lot out of anyone. But she's also happy to have spent the afternoon out, doing something different, and getting an indirect peek into her future.

"Thank you," Charlotte says, as she's walking down the path with Landry beside her. She's sipping on a fruit smoothie, satisfying a post-dinner craving.

Landry raises a brow, since he's not sure what she's thanking him for. All they did was spend the afternoon keeping Emily occupied. No big deal. And really, the only point in doing it was to give Charlotte a little taste of her future, because he can tell she's still not totally into the whole being an expectant momma thing. But he knows she'll come around eventually, it just takes time.

"You're welcome, I think," he says, as they reach her doorstep. "I really should be the one thankin' you for the help. Emily's a handful."

"That she is," Charlotte agrees. She digs around her purse for her keys and pulls them out. "But she's an adorable lil' one. Jasper's got a heartbreaker on his hands when she gets older. Did you see her charmin' all the other lil' boys at the playground?"

Landry laughs, nodding his head. "Yes, I did. And if you end up havin' a girl, that's what you'll be lookin' forward to."

"Oh please, I don't want think about that yet," she mutters, bringing one hand to her belly. "How 'bout I worry about gettin' through this pregnancy first."

"I know. And you will, 'cause you got Bradley around to help," he reminds her, and Charlotte smiles slightly and nods. He really likes seeing her like this, in good spirits, because it's been a while. "You have me, too, but don't go dependin' on me to be the one holdin' your hand in the delivery room. That's not my cup of tea. Besides, maybe by that time, you and Brad will be on your way to bein' a family."

"We'll see," she says, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. She turns the key in the lock and opens the door. "You comin' in or headin' back to the house?"

"Nah, I'm gonna head back. Ya know, say good night to Momma before she's done for the evenin'," he replies, checking his watch. "You gonna be okay here?"

"Of course, I'm not helpless."

"Just sayin'. I hope you think about what I said earlier, ya know, 'bout Brad."

"Uh huh, and maybe you need to mind your own business," Charlotte smirks as she steps inside, turns and leans against the doorway. "Tell Momma I said good night."

"Will do," Landry salutes, turns on his heel and walks back up the path.

Charlotte shuts the door, locks it and heads to the bedroom. While changing her clothes, her phone chimes and she picks it up, already knowing who the text message is from.

_Hope you had a good day. Workin late, comin with breakfast in the AM. Sleep well._

Smiling, she sends him a message back, with something about another omelet. Not quite ready to go to sleep yet, she settles against the pillows and grabs the book off her nightstand.

Sighing softly, she opens it to where she last left off, reading yet another exciting few pages of _'What to Expect When You're Expecting.'_


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Cooper leans back in his chair with a beer bottle in hand. He stares at the ocean waves crashing against the shore, sitting by himself while everyone else is contently socializing behind him.

It's July 4th and Sam's hosting a beach party, although they're really not on the beach per se, but on his back porch. It's something he should be enjoying because it's a time when he can kick back and drink, but he's not and there are other places he'd rather be. Unfortunately, he doesn't know where those other places are. So, he's here at Sam's, present in body but definitely not in mind.

"You know, sooner or later you're gonna have to stop moping," Violet sits in the other chair and leans forward slightly, looking at her friend with concern.

Cooper takes another sip and swallows. "I'm not moping," he says, still looking toward the beach. "I just need a moment to myself. So, if you don't mind…"

Violet reaches for Cooper's hand. "You miss her."

"No I don't," he immediately replies with a shake of the head.

"Coop, you know you can't lie to me. Have you thought about looking for her?"

Cooper finally turns his head, looks at Violet. "Why bother? She hasn't contacted anyone here, which means she doesn't want to be found."

Violet glances over her shoulder, looking toward a certain diminutive doctor. "Have you asked Sheldon if he's heard from her?"

"No, and even if I did ask him, I'm sure he wouldn't tell me anything," Cooper grumbles under his breath. He drains the last of his beer, sets the bottle down at his feet. He sits up, rubs his palms against his jeans. "You know what, you're right. I should stop moping. It's time for me to move on. Starting today, Cooper Freedman is a new man."

"Wait, you're just going to give up on her that easily?" Violet asks. While she's not exactly a fan of Charlotte King, the woman did have a way of making Cooper happy. Then again, perhaps he's right and it's time to move on. After all, what's the use of keeping your life on hold for someone who packed a bag and left town without an explanation.

Cooper shrugs his shoulders. "Unless you think I should try to find her."

"I'm not saying you should. But I'm also not saying you shouldn't. It's up to you, Coop."

"She changed her cell number. I think that's her way of telling me she doesn't want to be found," Cooper sighs, rakes his fingers through his hair. "Everything happens for a reason, right? Maybe Charlotte and I were never meant to work out."

Violet reaches across to squeeze his knee. "I'm sorry, Coop. Who knows, maybe you'll cross paths again someday."

"Yeah, someday," Cooper looks out at the ocean again, wondering if that someday will ever happen.

* * *

><p>Charlotte's standing on the deck, cold drink in hand as she looks out at the groups of people milling about on the grounds. She estimates half, it not most of the town is socializing with one another, enjoying their July 4th. While she wishes they were all somewhere else, she remembers this is an annual event even with Big Daddy resting in peace.<p>

For as far back as she can remember, the King Family always held an annual barbecue at the estate, inviting the whole town for good food, lots of drinks and a place for everyone to watch the fireworks show at night.

Bradley walks up to Charlotte, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "You know, this isn't really a barbecue if everything is catered," he says into her ear with a laugh, hands resting on her baby bump. "Now, I don't mind the tasty food and all, and I'm sure everyone else doesn't, but a barbecue is supposed to have men tendin' the grill, cookin' all the meat. And there's supposed to be lots of smoke and maybe a burnt smell in the air every once in a while."

Charlotte turns around, smiles at him and rubs a spot of barbecue sauce from his cheek. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do recall seein' you here during some of these barbecues when we were in high school and you weren't teasin' me about this back then."

"That's because I was 17 and it was free food," he says, tilting his head down and kissing her. "You okay? I figured you'd be schmoozing like your mother and brothers are doin'."

"It's hot," Charlotte complains. "And I'm not feelin' like the social type today, not when the first question out of everyone's mouth is about me bein' pregnant. Then they're askin' me about the daddy. I swear, if one more person comes up to me and asks if they can touch my belly..."

"Understandable."

"So, I'm just gonna stay right here. Landry, Duke and Momma can do all the talkin'. They know everyone anyway."

Bradley pulls her close and she recoils slightly, frowning at his touch. "What's wrong?"

"Like I said before, it's hot," she whines, bringing her hand to the back of her neck, feeling the sweat build up.

Bradley hands her a napkin and chuckles. "I can't believe you're complainin' about how hot it is. You should be used to this hot and humid weather, considerin' this is where you grew up."

"Oh I'm used to warm weather, but not these Alabama summers," she wipes off the sweat. "This humidity is downright disgusting."

"Agreed, but you know it comes with the territory of livin' here," he looks out at the crowd then turns to Charlotte, brows going up. "I have an idea on how we can cool down," he takes her hand, walks with her through the house and out the front. Opening the passenger side door to his car, he motions for her to get in. "I'm thinkin' we should go somewhere a lil' more private."

Bradley drives across town, windows down and the breeze blowing through the car. Charlotte tilts her head back, enjoying the air against her face, feeling somewhat better. As Bradley makes the turn, she notices they're headed toward his house and soon enough, he's pulling into his driveway.

"This is your idea of coolin' down?" Charlotte raises an eyebrow before getting out of the car. They walk into his house and to her surprise, it's a lot cooler than it is outside and she's grateful for the respite from the unbearable heat.

Bradley smiles as he moves towards her, pulling her into his arms. "Okay, so I lied. Truth is, I just wanted to be alone with you," he says, swiping back locks of blonde hair. "Lame excuse for leavin', I know. But with all the people there, I don't think your momma or brothers would notice you went missin'."

Charlotte returns his smile with one of her own. "I don't think they would," she presses a kiss to his lips. "So, now that we're here, what do you want to do?"

"Oh, I don't know… maybe a little bit of this," he suggests, pushing aside her hair and kissing her neck. "And then some," he smirks, leading her toward the sofa and sitting down. He pulls her onto his lap, kisses her again, this time on the lips as his hands are reaching for the zipper on her dress. "Unless you're not in the mood to…"

"I'm definitely in the mood," Charlotte snickers, her fingers searching for the buttons on his shirt. She undoes the last button and quickly pushes it off. "This needs to be gone," she mumbles as her mouth crashes into his.

Brad stops, glances at her pregnant belly. "Wait, the baby."

"The baby will be fine. Don't worry," Charlotte murmurs reassuringly and rakes her fingers through his dark hair. She can feel his hesitancy and repeats again. "Don't worry. Now can we finish gettin' our clothes off?"

"Of course, of course."

It isn't long until clothes begin to pile off to the side of the sofa and hands are wandering. Bradley gently lays Charlotte down and continues kissing her in all the right places, both of them breathing heavily and pleasuring one another as they enjoy an impromptu session of love in the afternoon.

It's nightfall when Charlotte's eyes flutter open. She lifts her head and looks around, wondering where Brad has gone. Grabbing his shirt off the floor, she slips it on and walks through the dining room. She spots the sliding door to the deck is slightly ajar, heads towards it and finds a shirtless Bradley wearing only cargo shorts, standing outside in front of the grill.

Bradley turns, locks eyes with Charlotte as she's heading towards him. "Hey there, sleepyhead," he says, pulling her into his arms. "Have a good nap?"

"The best I've had in a while," she replies, peeking at what he's got going on the grill. There are two burgers and by the looks of them, they're pretty much ready to eat. "Dinner?"

"Have a seat, I'll bring these over in a sec," he says, reaching for the plate as Charlotte leaves his side. He carefully lifts each patty off the grill and drops them onto the burger buns.

"Looks good," Charlotte says as he places a plate in front of her. "Believe it not, I've been cravin' one of these," she squeezes some ketchup, followed by some mustard before replacing the top bun. Not bothering to wait for Bradley to start eating, she takes a hearty bite, smiling with satisfaction. "Oh, this is good."

Bradley laughs as he bites into the burger, chews on it and swallows. "I can throw another one on the grill if you're starved."

"No, this is fine," Charlotte shakes her head. She takes her time eating the burger, savoring the taste. They sit in silence for the next few minutes, taking in the sounds around them as they eat.

Nine o'clock rolls around faster than they realize and Charlotte's lying on the lounge chair still wearing Bradley's shirt and nothing else while she waits for him to return with something to drink. She stares up at the night sky, spotting the first set of fireworks going off as Bradley sets the drinks down and joins her.

Spooning her from behind, Bradley kisses the back of her neck. "Did they just start?"

"Mmhmm."

"Bright and pretty."

"I forgot how beautiful they were. Guess I've been away too long."

"Same here," he drapes his arm over her waist, his fingers slowly unbuttoning the shirt. Charlotte turns her head and he presses his lips to hers. "How about we make some fireworks of our own?"

Charlotte shifts her body around, faces him and her hands on his shorts, unzipping his fly. She pushes them off while he's got his hands wandering all over and she snickers, "I was thinkin' the same thing."

Bradley smirks, sucks on the pulse point on her neck before bringing his mouth to hers. He's breathing heavily and she is too, as he presses his body to hers. Charlotte huskily growls his name, their bodies thrumming with pleasure as the fireworks continue to go off in the night sky.

By the time the light show above them ends, Charlotte's resting her head near Bradley's sweaty shoulder, smiling from ear to ear as she closes her eyes. Their passion finally gives way to exhaustion, as the both of them fall asleep under the stars, bodies entwined until the sun rises.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Charlotte runs a hand through her hair, wondering where the day went. She checks her watch, realizes she has just enough time to finish writing notes in her patient's file before heading out to her 20 week appointment. She's been feeling a little anxious about it all day, since this is when she finds out if the little peanut growing in her belly is a girl or a boy.

Closing the patient file, she sits back in her chair and takes a deep breath, grateful the day's been quiet. Lately, the clinic has been somewhat busier than usual and she can't figure out why that is. Then again, she's only a doctor working there, so it's really not her concern as long as there are patients coming in to see her daily.

Certain there's nothing left for her to do, Charlotte grabs her purse, heads out of the office and into her car. She parks outside of Dr. Blake's office and looks around for Bradley but doesn't see him. She frowns and suspects he's running late, recalling he'd mentioned it earlier in the day, but would make every effort to be there with her.

By the time Dr. Blake is done with her exam and is ready to do the ultrasound, Bradley still hasn't arrived and Charlotte's mood has soured a little, despite this being a big day.

"Well, I guess there's no use in waitin'. Let's find out," Charlotte lays back, shivering a little at the coolness of the gel being spread on her belly. Just as she's about to exhale another deep sigh, the door opens and in comes Bradley. Her expression immediately changes. "You made it."

"Of course," he says, smiling as he drops his briefcase onto one of the chairs. He leans down, presses a kiss to Charlotte's lips. "I said I'd be here and I am. I hope I'm not too late."

"You made it just in time," Dr Blake says, looking intently on the screen with a smile on her face. She moves the wand around a little and the sound of a baby's heartbeat fills the room. "Heartbeat is normal. Everythin' looks good," she says, still concentrating on the screen. She moves the wand slightly. "And if you look right here, you can see the lil one is suckin' its thumb."

Bradley tilts his head a little, his brow furrowing as he tries to get a good look at the screen. "Wow, would ya look at that. The lil' peanut is definitely suckin' its thumb," he says, reaching for Charlotte's hand and smiling down at her. "I'm happy I made it in time to see this. Do we know if it's a boy or a girl? I mean, unless you don't want to know."

"Of course I do," Charlotte squeezes his hand, her gaze captivated on the screen, happy to have him here with her. "Think we can find out the sex of the lil' peanut?"

"Yes we can," Dr Blake nods. She eyes the screen intently for a moment. "Looks like you've havin' a boy."

"A boy," Charlotte repeats, smiling at the news. She locks eyes with Bradley. "I'm gonna have a son."

.:.:.

Bradley lets himself in later that evening and finds Charlotte asleep on the couch. Quietly placing his keys on the table, he walks over to the couch and bends down, kissing her on the forehead. Her eyes slowly flutter open and he smiles at her, lifting her legs so he can sit as they rest on his lap.

"Tired?" he asks.

"Exhausted," Charlotte yawns, nodding her head. "It's been a long day."

"A happy one, though," he says, massaging her feet.

"Yeah," Charlotte notices a bag near Bradley's end of the couch. She's tempted to reach over and find out what it is, but the enjoyment of the impromptu foot rub she's receiving is stopping her. "What's that?"

"What's what?" he replies, as though he has no idea what she's talking about. He plays dumb for a few more seconds before picking the bag up and handing it to her. "Just a small gift for the lil' one."

Charlotte peeks inside and finds a small baseball cap. She takes it out and looks at it, fighting back the spontaneous tears forming in the corners of her eyes because she's touched by the gesture. "This is cute."

"I hope you don't mind. I, uh… I couldn't help myself," he says shyly, running fingers through his hair. "Now that we know the lil peanut's a boy…"

"It's sweet. Thanks," she says, holding the cap in her hands. She stares at it, the feeling of motherhood truly dawning on her for the first time. "Sorry, I'm just feelin' a bit overwhelmed right now."

Bradley moves closer to her, presses a hand to her belly and leans close to it. "Hey little man, I hope you're doin' okay in there. You be good to your momma, you hear?" he says, giving Charlotte a smirk. "She's had a long day."

Charlotte settles deep into the couch again, resting her head against the cushions and sighing softly. "Think you could maybe go back to workin' your magical hands on my feet?"

"Sure," he gently takes her left foot into his hands, resumes what he was doing before. They sit and relish the silence in the room for a few minutes, Bradley taking pleasure in Charlotte's reactions on the opposite end of the couch. He switches feet, working on the right one and wonders whether now is a good time to bring up something that's been on his mind for a while now.

Lifting her head, she catches him looking at her in a weird way. She sits up a bit, pulls her feet away and crosses her arms in front of her chest. "Stop lookin' at me like that."

"Move in with me," he grins.

"I'm sorry, what?" Charlotte blinks. This is the last thing she expects to hear from him. She wonders if he's joking, but the look on his face says otherwise.

"I said, move in with me," he moves across the couch, taking her hands. "I want you to move in with me."

She looks at their hands then up at him and that hopeful expression he's sporting. For a split second, she entertains the idea but shakes her head, saying, "No."

"Charlie…" he drawls.

"Don't Charlie me. I'm not movin' in with you," she replies tersely. "I have a perfectly decent place to live right here."

"I know you do, but you don't have an extra bedroom. My place, it's bigger and I've got an extra room that you can turn into a nursery for the lil' one, Charlotte, just hear me out on this," he says a little too pleadingly, but he can't help it. He's had this on his mind for a while not, but could never find the right time to bring it up. "I said I wanted to be a part of this pregnancy and be with you every step of the way. How can I be if we're not livin' together."

"Brad…" Charlotte exhales a deep sigh, knowing he's not going to give up on this so easily. If there's one thing she's learned about him, it's that he's so damned persistent. And while she fancies being with a man who refuses to give up, it can be very annoying too. "It sounds like a good idea, but I really don't know."

"Except for those times I have to work late, we're together every night. I come by here, spend the evenin' with you then go home," he explains, hoping Charlotte sees the logic in all of this. "I figure if we're livin' together, it'll make both our lives easier. And honestly, I worry about you all the time."

Charlotte smiles at him. It's cute how he cares so much, but what would moving in with him accomplish? Yes, they're together and yes, she's allowing him to be a part of this pregnancy, but they haven't discussed anything past that. They're just two people in a relationship, and he's someone who's willing be with a woman who's carrying another man's baby.

"You're worryin' yourself for nothin'," she assures him. "I'm fine and haven't had any issues with takin' care of myself during this pregnancy. The mornin' sickness is gone and I've got my appetite back. Everythin's under control."

"I know, but that's right now. You can't predict the future, babe. You're gonna need help sooner or later, and I want to be the one who's givin' that to you," he watches her expression change and leans across the couch, resting his hands on her knees. "What's keepin' you from saying yes?"

"It's just…" she pauses, chews on her lower lip for a second. "Last time I went all-in, things didn't work out so well. I don't think I can deal with that kind of letdown again, not with this baby comin' into my life."

"Is that why? Charlie, you've got nothin' to worry about with me. When I say I want to be in this with you, I mean it. I am not goin' anywhere. Not now, not ever."

Charlotte sits, purses her lips together and thinks about this for a moment. She's still not completely sold on the idea, but she's willing to give this a go. "Fine," she says, eliciting a smile from him. She holds up a finger, "But one condition."

"Okay," he says, unable to hide the happiness on his face.

"You let me redecorate."

"What's wrong with my place?"

"Nothin' is wrong , I just want it to have a lil' bit of my tastes too," she replies. "No offense, but your house… it's a little too manly."

Bradley laughs at the remark. "As long as you don't go remodeling the whole place."

"I won't," she says and he raises an eyebrow. "Okay, I'll try not."

Bradley closes the gap between them, presses a kiss to her lips."So it's a yes? You'll move in with me?"

Charlotte leans in, kissing him again. "It's a yes."


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: **What's this? A new chapter? I know, I know. It's been a while and I apologize. Life's been busy, but here I am with a shiny, brand new chapter. Thank SomewhereApart for nagging me to update this story because she misses Bradley so much.

Enjoy folks. Hopefully I won't let too much time pass before updating again. Reviews are welcome, even if you want to complain about another baby story being pushed up to the top of the story list.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 23<strong>

Bradley smiles as his credit card is handed back to him and he shoves it into his wallet. He takes the paper bag, thanks the salesgirl for the help once more before walking out of the store. He's still smiling, hoping Charlotte won't throw a fit because he bought something for the baby. He couldn't help himself, again, at least that's the excuse he's been using ever since finding out she's having a boy.

As he's driving down the highway back towards Monroeville, he's got Charlotte on his mind and wonders if she's doing okay at home, spending the day alone. She hadn't been in the best of moods this morning and leaving her while he knows she's capable of taking care of herself, it's only natural for him to worry.

He manages to push the worry away as he turns onto the exit ramp. While he wishes he could head home right now, an afternoon of case prep awaits him and it's something he can't put off. As he parks his car, he checks his watch and figures the sooner he gets this done, the sooner he can get home, hoping to brighten her day with what's inside the paper bag sitting in his back seat.

.:.:.

Sighing, Charlotte blows wisps of blonde hair away from her face. She's been working at the same task for the duration of the afternoon, and much to her frustration, she's nowhere near satisfied. All afternoon long, she'd been staring at the different color samples, none of them pleasing her.

Blue, all different shades of blue surrounded her. Baby blue, royal blue, navy blue, teal… none of these were to her liking.

And then came the theme for the nursery. At first, they'd agreed on Winnie the Pooh, then trains (Bradley's idea), then racecars, then Disney (Charlotte's idea.) As of right now, the room's still theme-less in addition to being colorless and the indecision continues to contribute to her ongoing frustration.

Charlotte takes a deep breath as she leans against the wall, bringing her hands to her belly. "Pickin' out the color for your room is gettin' to be quite a production, lil' peanut. I can't seem to make up my mind on anythin'." She rubbed her hand along the surface of her blouse. "I'm sure I'll figure out what I want sooner or later, I just wish there wasn't so much to choose from."

It's late afternoon when she finally gives up on picking out colors and themes, and moves onto doing something else. She's still feeling a little irritated because she hasn't accomplished anything at all, and it's now causing her to feel all sorts of moody.

She's standing in front of the open fridge and there's that feeling again because now she can't make a decision on what to eat. There's leftovers staring back at her, but she's not feeling like having whatever she and Bradley had for dinner the night before. But it also doesn't help that she's in no mood to cook and it's almost seven o'clock, which means Bradley's going to be home any minute now.

As she's shutting the fridge, she hears the front door open, footsteps padding through the dining room and towards her.

"Hey," he says, kissing her forehead before grabbing a bottle of water. "You have a good day off?"

Charlotte's mouth twists into a frown, grumbling. "No."

"Why not?" Bradley asks as he's loosening his tie, spotting the forlorn look on her face. He knows what's about to happen and thankfully, he's well prepared, bracing himself for the onslaught of emotions that's about to spill out. Surprisingly, it doesn't happen because she's still standing there, calm and collected.

"It's nothin'," Charlotte shakes her head, and sighs deeply. "Just have some stuff on my mind. That's all."

"Anythin' I can do to help?" he asks, despite knowing the answer, but he poses the question anyway. Even if she doesn't want to tell him what's bothering her, he'll find out soon enough.

"No."

Bradley decides not to push. "Alright then, how about we have dinner? I'm starved." He opens the refrigerator and looks inside. "Are you in the mood for leftovers? If not, I can throw something together real quick."

"Leftovers are fine," she replies, and proceeds to set the table for dinner.

The indifference in her voice doesn't go unnoticed by him. "Charlotte, if you want somethin' different, now is the time to say it. Whatever you want, just tell me."

"That's the thing, I don't know what I want and it's the problem I've had all day," she pulls out a chair and sits down. "I can't make up my mind about anything. I was never like this before. When there was a decision that needed to be made, I just did it without thinkin' and now, here I am, I've become Charlotte King, the queen of indecisiveness."

Bradley tries to stifle a laugh, only for Charlotte to look up and glare at him. He has to admit, her mood swings have become a bit more entertaining as of late. "Sorry," he moves toward where she's sitting and kneels in front of her. He takes hold of her hands. "You are not indecisive. You're just havin' one of those days."

"And since when are you the expert on pregnancy?"

"I'm not, but I'm just sayin'. So, about dinner. Your wish is my command."

Later that evening, Bradley finds Charlotte standing at the doorway of what will soon be the baby's nursery. Approaching her from behind, he gently wraps his arms around her.

Charlotte leans into the embrace. "This room is a mess. I spent the whole day going back and forth on themes and colors, and I came up with nothin'. A day off from work and I didn't accomplish a thing. We'll be lucky if this room is ready by the time this baby is born."

"It will be."

"And you know this how? I don't know what shade of blue to paint this room. Then there's the theme. Trains, racecars, Disney."

"So, we won't paint the room blue. Let's paint it green," he suggests and she's looking at him like he's got three heads. "Well, not ugly green like the color of peas… more like a light green. Okay, maybe we won't paint the room green."

"Green?" she laughs.

"Yellow, then? I'm tryin' to come up with neutral colors here."

Charlotte takes a moment, looks at the room and imagines the walls painted yellow. "No," she quickly replies. It's obvious the image in her head doesn't please her at all. "Back to blue. Light blue."

Bradley smiles and kisses the top of Charlotte's head. "See, look how easy that was. All you needed was me suggesting some ugly colors and you made a decision."

"Funny."

"It's the truth," he snickers, smirking at her. Flipping the switch off, he takes her by the hand and leads her down the hallway toward the bedroom. "Admit it, if it weren't for me, you'd still be stewin' over what color to paint the room."

Charlotte rolls her eyes as she climbs into bed and settles against the pillows. She pulls the covers to her chest and finally nods. Bradley lies down next to her, still smiling and she glares at him annoyingly. "What?"

"Nothin', but correct me I'm wrong… shouldn't you be like, maybe a little thrilled that we've finally settled on a color for the room? Like, have that excited mother's glow or somethin' of the sort. I remember readin' it somewhere," he says, reaching over to turn off the bedside lamp. He rests his head on the pillow, moving closer to Charlotte.

"First of all, I do not glow. Second, you mean, now that _I've_ settled on a color," she states, playfully touching his nose. "But I do not do thrilled. I'm just happy, because I can now move onto theme and you can spend the next weekend or two painting the room."

"Oh, I see how it is. I do all the manual labor?"

"Yes."

"Well, what's in it for me?" he grins.

Charlotte sighs. She knows he's just milking this moment for the hell of it and she's too tired to play this game. "Would you rather I paint the room myself?"

Bradley sits up, and runs his fingers through his hair. "No, of course not. I do not want you anywhere near paint."

"I knew you'd say that, Now can we go to sleep?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he nuzzles his cheek against her shoulder, closing his eyes.

Charlotte's not far behind, her eyelids growing heavier as she shifts her body closer to Bradley and his arm gently drapes itself over her waist.

"Charlie?" he says softly, hoping she's still awake.

"Hmm?" she responds, half asleep.

He brushes away stray wisps of blonde hair and props his head up with his other hand. "Have you thought of names for the lil' peanut yet?"

Charlotte cracks one eye open, squinting at him in the dark. "And you're asking me this now, why?"

"I was just wonderin', that's all."

"Well, keep on wonderin' because the answer is no. And if we start talkin' names, it's going to keep me up all night. With the day I had, I don't think you want to open that can of worms do you?"

"No."

"Can we get some sleep now? I'm tired."

"Fine, fine," he presses a kiss to her cheek. "Good night."

"G'night."

Five minutes later, Bradley's up again. He can't help but smile, biting his lower lip and trying not to chuckle while Charlotte tries to find her way out of the room with only the moonlight guiding her, as she mumbles to herself. Lifting his head off the pillow, he calls out to her. "Where ya goin?"

"Gotta pee," Charlotte grumbles. "Again."


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Charlotte's blankly staring out the window, her gaze focusing on a mother and her child. It catches her eye for some reason and while she can hear Reese talking, she finds herself more fascinated at what's going on outside the window.

"James. That's what you should name the baby. James King. Rolls off the tongue well," Reese says, taking another bite of her sandwich. She notices Charlotte isn't paying any attention and snaps her fingers in front of her friend's face. "Hey. You look like you're a million miles away."

Charlotte blinks, realizes Reese is trying to get her attention. Giving her a rueful smile, she says, "Sorry. Guess my mind was somewhere else."

"I can tell. Penny for your thoughts?"

"Not thinkin' about much. It's more of gettin' a peek of what my future's gonna be like." Charlotte turns her head and looks out the window again.

Reese follows Charlotte's gaze, spotting the mother and son. A smile curls at the corners of her mouth, realizing that'll be her friend in a few months time. "Looks like she's got her hands full."

"Yeah. So, you were sayin'?"

"Well, during your brief daydream, I was talkin' about baby names. I was thinkin' James."

Charlotte shook her head, voicing her disagreement. "No, it's too plain."

"James King? Come on, you could call him Jamie," Reese persuades. She knows this is a battle she can't win. "Fine, do you have any ideas on names?"

"Not really. I haven't thought about it all that much," Charlotte shrugs, bringing her hands to her belly.

Reese laughs under her breath. She's not surprised her friend has been preoccupied with other things on her mind, such as Bradley. "You're gonna have to think of some names sooner or later. You're due in a few months."

"And we're midway through August. I've got time."

"Time flies, especially when you're havin' fun with that man of yours."

Charlotte's face sours a bit. "Yeah, you could say that."

"Oh lord, what'd that knucklehead do now?"

"It's a long story, not sure you want to hear all of it."

Reese looks at her watch. "I've got time. Spill. Tell me everythin'."

.:.:.

_Four days ago…_

Bradley quietly makes his way up the staircase and down the hall, pushing the bedroom door open with his foot. Setting the tray down, he grabs the rose and tickles the edge of Charlotte's nose.

"Wake up sleepyhead," he whispers. "Rise and shine."

Charlotte groans, cracking one eye open. "What time is it?"

"Seven."

"Seven? Why in God's name are you waking me up at seven in the morning on a Saturday?"

"Well, because of this," he turns and picks up the tray, motions for her to sit up before he sets it in front of her.

Charlotte can't help but smile, albeit ruefully at the gesture. It's breakfast in bed, something Bradley hasn't done for her in a while. "You didn't have to," she says, reaching for a strawberry. "But thank you."

"It's nothin'. Besides, this is just the first part of my surprise for you," he grins, moving closer to her in bed. He swipes away a lock of blonde hair, letting his hand linger on her cheek.

"First part of your surprise? What do you mean?" Charlotte's eyebrow goes up and he's still grinning, which only makes her wonder what he has planned. "I thought we were goin' to have a nice long weekend to ourselves, considerin' I have Monday off and you were able to get the day off also."

Bradley hands Charlotte a glass of juice and nods. "Yeah, we are, but not here. You should eat, then take a shower and get dressed. We have to get goin' by nine, or 10 the latest. You never know what traffic may be like." He pats her on the leg and gets up. "Don't worry about packin'. I took the liberty of doin' it for you. Well, Reese helped a little."

Charlotte can't help but smile. "Aren't you gonna tell me where we're goin'?"

"No, that's a surprise."

By the time they're ready to hit the road, it's past nine and Bradley's patiently waiting outside the car for Charlotte. Finally, she comes out of the house, locking the door and making her way to his car.

"Took ya long enough," he chuckles opening the car door for her.

"Well, if someone had told me we were goin' somewhere, maybe I would have set an alarm instead of being in a rush to get ready," she retorts.

Seatbelts securely fastened, Bradley flashes another smile before starting the car and pulling out of the driveway. It isn't long before they're cruising down the highway at a nice speed. With one hand on the steering while, Bradley reaches across and gently squeezes Charlotte's thigh with his free hand.

"You seem awfully quiet," he says, glancing sideways at her.

"Just sleepy," Charlotte replies. Truth is, she's trying to figure out where exactly they're headed. He'd refused to divulge the information earlier. Placing her hand on top of his, she pesters him again, hoping he'll give in. "Why won't you just tell me where we're goin'?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Besides, it's a surprise, so stop askin'."

"Fine."

Bradley switches lanes, moving past the car in front of them. He's grinning because he knows how much this is bothering Charlotte. She'll find out soon enough though, when they're close to their destination and it's time to tell her what he has planned for their weekend.

"Are you okay? You don't need to pee?" he asks. "I think there's a rest stop comin' up in a few miles."

"No, I'm fine," Charlotte replies a little too quickly. A minute later she changes her mind. "Okay, maybe you should."

Bradley tries to stifle a laugh as he spots the sign for the next rest stop. One mile. Switching lanes, he hums softly to himself, excited for what this weekend will bring.

An hour and a half later, they're nearing their destination and Bradley's finally ready to spill the beans. After changing lanes, he glances at Charlotte, wondering if she's figured out where they're going. Judging from the look on her face, it hasn't registered yet.

They're getting closer and closer, and finally, Charlotte says something.

"Wait, Magnolia Springs?"

Bradley makes the final turn and the car pulls to a stop. "Surprise." He gets out of the car and hurries to the passenger side, opening the door for Charlotte. "This is where we'll be spending our weekend."

Carrying both their bags, Bradley leads Charlotte up the steps and they walk into the Bed & Breakfast. Charlotte takes the time to look around while Bradley's searching for the person in charge. Standing in the great hall, there's a warm vibe and she feels it immediately. Sure, the decoration is simple at best, but it's perfect.

Bradley's voice interrupts her quiet reverie. "Alright, we're checked in. Let's head on up to the room."

Magnolia Springs, a quaint Bed and Breakfast located at the headwaters of the Magnolia River in the south quadrant of Baldwin County. Literally off the beaten path on an avenue of stunning live oaks, Magnolia Springs is the last community with year-round mail by boat. Magnolia River is a lazy river that flows into Weeks Bay and then into Mobile Bay.

Whisking Charlotte on a weekend getaway has been on Bradley's mind for a while, and while he'd have done it sooner, he blames work for getting in the way. Although Charlotte doesn't mind, since she too is a workaholic (but starting to cut back on her hours), the yearning to whisk her away for a long weekend is something he's been meaning to do.

One of the boys working on the property takes their bags, leading them up the stairs and down the hall to the McNair Room. Unlocking the door, Bradley pushes it open, revealing a simple, yet charming room with a view of the oak tree situated in the front of the property.

Perfect, he thinks to himself.

After handing a generous tip over, he turns to Charlotte, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, what do you think of your surprise?"

"It's perfect," she says, sitting down at the edge of the bed.

Joining her, he sits down and takes her hand. "I figured we needed a weekend to ourselves. No phone calls or nosy family members interruptin' us."

"Is Momma gettin' on your nerves too?" she smirks and he nods. Lately, they'd been getting more phone calls and visits than usual and while it's nice that her momma cares, there have been times when it's gotten to be too much.

Like a few weeks ago, the one Saturday morning they'd hoped to have to themselves, but Augusta King showed up on their doorstep wanting to spend time with Charlotte.

Just as Bradley pushes away some hair from Charlotte's neck and leans in to kiss her, a yawn escapes from her. "Sorry, guess I'm still a lil' sleepy."

"Take a nap, then. We've got nowhere to be and our reason for comin' here was to have a relaxin' weekend. So go on, relax," he checks his watch. "I'll wake you in an hour or two."

Charlotte's tempted to entertain the suggestion, but feels a pang of guilt at the same time.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothin'. "And it really is nothing, but she still can't help the feeling. "I was just thinkin', we came here to spend time together and all I want to do right now is nap, when we should be doin' something."

"Go ahead and sleep. I could use a nap myself," he says, kicking off his shoes. "I'll make sure we wake up in time to grab a late lunch."

Charlotte doesn't fight him and settles on the bed, Bradley joining her. She rests her head on the pillows and feels him drape his arm over her waist. With a smile on her face, she closes her eyes and they're both asleep within minutes.

Relaxing walks along the Tensaw River and enjoying the history of the area is what most of their weekend consisted of. It truly was the getaway they both needed and by the time Sunday afternoon rolls around, neither are looking forward to the drive back to town the next morning.

As the weekend winds down, they're enjoying an evening walk and that's when Bradley gets the bright idea to stop at the bench under the same oak tree seen from their room, pulling Charlotte onto his lap.

"This was a nice weekend," he murmurs softly, securing his arms around her. "It makes me not want to go back to town tomorrow. How 'bout we stay here, forever. It's peaceful. No one would bother us. "

Charlotte presses her cheek against his shoulder. The idea is tempting, but they're going to have to get back to reality sooner or later. "Sounds wonderful, but there is that thing called work," she reminds. "We can't just up and quit our jobs."

"Nonsense. I'll buy a lottery ticket. It'll be a winner. We'll both be millionaires. I'll invest our winnings. We'll live in a big house. You, me and lil'peanut."

"Oh?"

"Yes," he smiles, shifts a little so he's looking into her eyes. "Marry me."

.:.:.

"What?!" Reese says a little too loudly. Everyone in the restaurant looks their way, and she's smiling apologetically then leans towards Charlotte. "What? He asked you to marry him?"

"Mmmhmm…" Charlotte nods.

"And you said?" Reese tilts her head, waiting and waiting. She can tell by the look on Charlotte's face it's not the answer she's expecting. "You didn't. You turned him down. Oh lord, you did."

.:.:.

Charlotte moves off Bradley's lap. Did she hear him correctly? "Excuse me?"

"I said, marry me." He's still smiling and waiting for an answer. "Charlie… Charlotte, come on. It makes sense. You and me, we're together. We may as well take the next step," he says, pulling her close. "And I love you."

Looking away, she sighs softly. "Brad…"

"What is it? You don't want to be with me?"

"Yes. No, I mean yes," Charlotte shakes her head. She can see the hurt in his eyes. "Look, I love being with you. I love spending time with you. I love us being together." she explains and he nods his head. "You're different from any other man I've been with."

"But…" He knows there's one coming.

"But you can't ask me to marry you because you think it's the right thing to do."

"Wait, I never said that."

"Did you not just say a minute ago, 'we may as well take the next step'? I don't know how that translates in your head, but in mine, that's code for let's get married because it's the right thing to do. I'm pregnant, you're my boyfriend, let's become one big happy family!" she says, a little too loudly.

Bradley pulls away, rubs his palms on his jeans. "Well, if that's how you feel."

"Brad, listen. I'm not sayin' no, but I'm not sayin' yes either. I'm sayin' I can't," she closes the gap between them, hoping she hasn't lost him. "At least, not yet."

Now he's confused. She can be so damn complicated sometimes. First, it's the wrong thing to do, now all of a sudden, it's let's wait and see. He cracks a small smile. "So, you're tellin' me you're not ready."

"I'm tellin' you that I'm fine with the way things are," Charlotte replies. It's a weak statement, but it'll have to do. Truth is, she's just not ready to deal with the idea of marriage right now. "Smile. I'm not breakin' up with you."

He sits there for a moment, finally smiles and leans in to kiss her. "I meant what I said before. I love you."

"I know you do," Charlotte nods. "Now can we go inside, because my back is startin' to ache and I could use some of that magic you do with your hands."

Bradley stands, extends his hand and helps her up. He wraps his arm around her as they walk back toward the house. He pushes the disappointment to the back of his head. He didn't get her to say yes this time around, but she will next time he asks her, because he'll do it right.

.:.:.

"I can't believe you turned him down."

Charlotte's brow furrows. "I should've said yes?"

"Yes!" Again, everyone's looking toward them. She leans closer, lowering her voice, "Charlotte, the guy's head over heels in love with you."

"I know that, but I'm not going to marry a man because it's the right thing to do."

"Did you ever think maybe he's asking because he loves you? And maybe because he wants to be with you and wants to be a part of your baby's life?" Charlotte sits quietly as she continues on, "Look, I know you don't want to go all-in. I get that. But Brad is the best thing that's happened to you and he treats you way better than that Cooper Freedman ever did. So while you think he asked because it was right thing to do, he was askin' because it's somethin' he wants to do. Bradley Nowak loves you, Charlotte King."

For a moment, they sit there, Charlotte digesting Reese's words as they wait for the waitress to bring back their change. Reese grabs her purse and moves out of the booth first, offering her an apologetic smile. She waits for Charlotte and together they walk out into the parking lot.

"Are you headin' back to work?" Reese asks as they stroll down the block.

"Yeah, got a few more patients, then I'm headin' home and crawlin' into bed. I was up half the night 'cause the lil' peanut kept movin' around," Charlotte looks at her watch. If she hustles, she can make it back to the clinic in 15 minutes with just enough time to use the bathroom. "Thanks for lunch."

"Anytime. And it sounds like you're better off cancelling whatever you have goin' and headin' straight home," Reese advises. "I'm assumin' you're still livin' with Brad. You haven't moved out, have you?"

"No, I didn't move out."

"Good. Alright, I have to run. Think about what I said."

"Mmm… I will," Charlotte nods as Reese gets into her car. She watches her drive away then turns on her heel and heads down the block towards the clinic.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

A knock at the door rouses Charlotte from her afternoon nap and she's slowly getting up off the sofa. She peeks through the curtain, sees Momma standing at the doorstep with, as usual, containers of food. Opening the door, she forces a smile, "I was beginnin' to think you forgot about me."

"Never, baby girl," the older woman steps inside, places the three containers of food on the dining table and turns around, handing Charlotte an envelope. "This came in the mail for you today."

Charlotte takes the envelope, her eyes reading the return address.

_Cooper Freedman_

"Is that the same Cooper fella you were datin'?" Augusta asks. "Your baby's daddy?"

"Yeah," Charlotte replies, still staring at the envelope in her hand. She wonders how he figured out she was here, then silently curses when she realizes Sheldon probably spilled the beans.

"Well, aren't you goin' to open it and find out what the letter says?"

Charlotte tosses it onto the table and looks up, meeting her mother's curious gaze. "It's none of your business, Momma."

"I was just askin'," Augusta replies defensively. She decides to switch topics, eyes her daughter's pregnant belly and smiles. "How're you feelin' today? Everythin' alright with you and the lil'peanut? Where's Bradley? Why isn't he around today?"

"Everythin' is fine," Charlotte replies, appeasing her mother's questions while her thoughts are becoming occupied with the letter sitting on the table. "Brad's at the office. He's busy preppin' a case."

"Workin'?" Augusta shakes her head. "He should know better. It's the weekend and he should be here, tendin' to you. You're pregnant for cryin' out loud. Work can wait."

Charlotte rolls her eyes. She can't help but laugh a little at her mother's tiny outburst of disapproval. It's typical Momma, set in her old fashioned ways. "Relax, I told him I'd be fine here. I'm not an invalid, Momma. I can take care of myself just fine. I've done it for years."

"I know, but you're pregnant with my grandbaby."

"And like I said, I can take care of myself," Charlotte glances at the clock, thinking of an excuse to get her mother to leave. She'd love to get back to taking a nap. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Augusta takes this as her cue to go and stands up. "I can see I'm not wanted."

"Momma…"

"No, it's okay. Obviously, you've made your point. You'd rather be here by yourself than enjoy my company," she opens the door, ready to step out when Charlotte stops her.

"Momma, don't go. Stay for a little while."

"Fine, if you insist." Augusta shuts the door behind her and heads back to the sofa. She sits down next to Charlotte, taking a closer look at her. The changes in her daughter's body are quite prominent, such as the obvious protruding belly. Sure, she sees Charlotte often enough, but this is one of those moments where she's just looking at her, really taking her in. "I miss having you live at the gatehouse."

"I bet you do," Charlotte replies, trying to get into a more comfortable position on the sofa. At 28 weeks, it's become a bit of a challenge, both sitting and lying down. Today, particularly, isn't one of her good days, as she's been feeling restless all afternoon. Her back has been achy more so than usual while the little peanut makes it clear he's destined to be a soccer player with all the kicking he's been doing.

Right now, though, it seems the little peanut has the hiccups, which makes Charlotte wince slightly. She settles her hand on her pregnant belly, rubs the area gently. "Hiccups."

Augusta cracks a smile. "I remember those days. Duke was notorious for having hiccups while in the womb."

"Really? He kick like crazy too?"

"Baby girl, that was you. You'd keep me awake at night with all your kickin'. I kept wonderin' if I'd be givin' birth to a can-can dancer."

Charlotte laughs, her hand still resting on her belly. The little peanut has settled down a bit, a smile forming at the corners of her mouth. "Bet you're happy I didn't turn out to be one."

"Relieved," Augusta replies.

There's a beat of silence and Charlotte notices the look in her momma's eye. Curious, she arches an eyebrow and asks, "You got somethin' on your mind?"

Augusta sighs softly. "Just thinkin' about your daddy and wonderin' how it'd be if he were still alive today."

"I'm not sure what he'd think of my situation. Doubt he'd be thrilled, but I wouldn't have put it past him to say he was disappointed in me."

"Oh, you were his favorite. How could he ever be disappointed in you," Augusta reassures. "Now I know he wasn't much of a talker, but you know he loved you and he was always proud of you."

Charlotte nods, even though she may not fully agree with the statement. There's a part of her that feels Big Daddy would still have had something to say about this pregnancy. Or maybe if he were alive and healthy today, he'd fly out to LA and give Cooper a stern talking to on how women should be treated, especially his daughter.

But it's all 'what if' and there's no sense in thinking about those kinds of situations.

"Well, proud or not, Big Daddy still would've had somethin' to say," Charlotte retorts.

"You're probably right."

"Do you miss him?"

Augusta looks up, tilts her head slightly. "Every single day."

Charlotte knows the feeling and says, "Me too."

They share a quiet moment, Augusta lets her gaze drift, landing on a photo of Bradley and Charlotte. She can tell it looks fairly recent, based on the fact that Charlotte is showing in the photo. The smiles on their faces say it all and it causes her to wonder what the immediate future holds for them.

Looking to brighten the mood, Augusta turns to Charlotte, ready to pry for information regarding her relationship with Bradley when she notices the younger woman nestled against the pillows, eyes closed and clearly sound asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, she reaches for the quilt and gently drapes it over Charlotte's legs.

"I'll let you rest," she whispers, grabs a pen and the notepad off the table. She scribbles a short note, leaves it next to the book Charlotte had been reading and quietly leaves.

.:.:.

Bradley pulls up in front of Reese's house and honks the horn, letting her know he's there. He taps his fingers on the steering wheel as he waits and seconds later, Reese is coming out the front door. She climbs into the passenger seat, grinning from ear to ear as she's buckling her seatbelt.

"Why do I get the feelin' you're more excited about this than I am," he says with a laugh as he pulls onto the road and heads toward the highway.

"Because I am and because we're goin' ring shoppin' for Charlotte," Reese replies. She pulls out a small bundle of papers from her purse. Bradley casts a sideways glance. "What? You asked for suggestions. I came prepared."

"And you didn't think I might have something in mind?" he jokingly counters. Truth is, he doesn't have the faintest idea of what kind of ring to buy Charlotte. After finishing his case prep this morning, he spent an entire hour looking at ring designs. Princess cut, brilliant round, oval. Should he buy her a solitaire or maybe a channel set? All of these options made his head spin a little, so he's grateful Reese is coming along and maybe she'll help him settle on something.

"Do you?"

"No, not really," he says sheepishly. "That's why I'm hopin' you can help."

"And I will," Reese winks.

They spend the next hour at the jeweler, looking at different rings, going back and forth with Reese on what they each think Charlotte's preference is. A dozen (or maybe more) rings later, Bradley finally settles on one and he's handing over his credit card to the jeweler.

"I have to say, that is one beautiful ring," Reese says.

"It is," Bradley nods. "I'm glad you approve. If I haven't said it already, thank you for comin' along. I'd probably still be browsing if it weren't for you."

"Well, I'm glad I was able to help."

The jeweler returns with Bradley's credit and the receipt. After signing his name, they walk out of the store, the ring box containing the ring discretely inside a bag. Since Bradley can't go home with it, they head to his office and store the ring in the locked safe, because he doesn't intend on proposing yet.

They're sitting in a booth at a nearby diner, snacking on a plate of nachos. Reese is doing her best at trying not to give Bradley a hard time for proposing to Charlotte in Magnolia Springs, but hasn't been very successful.

"I still can't believe you asked her like that," she shakes her head disbelievingly. "Out of the blue. What were you thinkin'?"

"That I love her," he says, picking a tortilla chip out of the cheesy mess. He shoves it into his mouth and chews. After swallowing, he clears his throat. "She makes me happy and I'd like to do the same for her."

Reese can't help noticing the smile that's spreading from ear to ear on Bradley's face. Clearly, this is a man in love. "Have you thought about how you're going to propose to her? This time, I mean."

The smile on his face turns into a grin. "Yes, I have. I've got it all planed out and I guarantee she'll say yes."


End file.
